Till death do us part
by IamTerra
Summary: Ryou is having a rough time dealing with his yami and strangely enough Marik is having hikari troubles of his own. Is there a way for the two to find love in each others eyes or are they really in love with their other halves? This is my MarikxRyou story.
1. Nothing is perfect

**A fairly peaceful night was disrupted with the crash of a screen door that was followed by aloud scream. This would normally cause people to wonder what was going or on at least see what had happened. But that was never the luck of these people. They were always in some sort of fight or argument that the public just stopped caring. Thus it seemed normal, oh how wrong they were...**

I must have done something wrong but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was that I supposedly did. Had I forgotten to gravel at his feet when he entered the apartment or did I not change the toilet tissue roll because it was empty?

I awaited for my darker part of me to tell me what I had done to displease him but he skipped that part of our tradition and skipped ahead to the merciless beating. Seemed he thought I wasn't in enough pain already from his other punches and kick to my body.

Opening my mouth to speak, all I wanted to do was calm down Bakura but it was hopeless as he shoved me down to my knees and kicked me square in my back. The violent movement sent a wave of pain that stiffened every inch of me. If I deserved this then I'd at least like to know what I had done. Was that so wrong?

"Stop playing so innocent with me! That isn't going to work with me anymore!" Bakura hissed. I turned my head a little to look at him better. His deep crimson-brown eyes were so full of violence that I could see he was planning my demise. That look sent a trillion knives into my back making me feel like I was dying slowly.

"Bakura, please, just tell me what I did. I can fix it," The words came out but how they sounded, I couldn't be sure. I must have bitten my tongue in the process of falling down because it felt swollen. "Please?" I asked while trying to work up a smile, maybe that might calm him down.

Instead his eyes narrowed onto my form before he growled deep within his throat. Oh no, don't let him get worse please. "You can't fix this Ryou! I saw you hanging round with Malik and being all up in his face. You're just begging for him to take you! You didn't even think about how it would affect me," He sneered. Another kick was my reward but this time it was to the face.

What was he talking about? When did he care about me hanging around with Malik? Malik was just a friend so where did that crazy idea of me wanting to be his come from? How did that ever cross his mind?

The once great king of thieves who had once been harbored within myself didn't let up until the obvious point I knew he was trying to get across actually came to me. He must have seen me give my friend a hug and now thought that for punishment I deserved death. That look in his eyes shown me that if I didn't receive death then he'd make it to where I'd at least wish I were six feet under.

I closed my eyes and accepted the several other blows that came to me not long after. A few to the side, several to the stomach and yet another to the head. My yami was being reckless, most of his maiming remained hidden from other's eyes with the exception of that cut to my arm but he never did explain how I received that. No one would even tell me what had happened.

Something landed on to my side that made me flinch. It didn't hurt as back as being kick but it did surprise me. Hesitantly I opened my eyes to find that he had removed his jacket and thrown it at me. "Go get lost Ryou. Maybe some time on the streets will teach you to appreciate me a little more," the other grunted. Deciding it was safe, I decided to slowly edge myself up to where I at least wasn't laying flat on the wet filthy street. "You can come home when I summon you and not a moment sooner."

"But-But what about my things?" Those were not the right words to say. Bakura glared at me like I was the one who attempted to take his life. His gaze wounded me more then the markings on my own body.

The thief moved towards the apartment door and climbed up the steps. "What once was yours is now all mine. Leave or you'll taste my dagger in the back of your throat," he growled. The sound of the door slamming made me twitch while coldness began to seep into my skin. How could I have been so stupid?

Tears began to sting my eyes and the surrounds about myself were getting blurry. I was kicked out of my own home with not a single family member to turn too. I latterly had no one since my father was in Egypt while I stayed here in Japan with my darker self whom just threw me out of the place I paid for!

I should be furious that Kura had tossed me out like worthless garbage but.. Maybe that's what I was to him. Garbage. Well, maybe one of my friends might be generous enough to take me in for the night. Joey lived the closest but he had his own troubles with his father whom was just as bad as Bakura. Perhaps Yugi? No, not him… He lived with his grandfather and his own yami who was at least kind enough to help him out of situations instead of adding him to them. That left the closest person on this side of town whom I knew who was Malik.

He was a nice fellow. His sister was brilliant and his step-brother I didn't know to much about but seemed pleasant when we had meet. Besides, Malik had asked me to stay the night before but I knew that would upset my yami. What did it matter now, I was already in trouble for being seen with him so why not accept the offer now?

Pulling the jacket on over my shoulders was a chore in itself so I hadn't bothered putting my arms into the sleeves as I attempted walking to my destination. If he didn't have room or time then I could sleep in the street or in the park. That was nothing new to me.

Time ticked away, it was only natural and my body began to ach more with every step but luckily my friend's place was in sight and nearing. Oddly enough it didn't take long for me to appear at his doorstep but mustering up the courage to knock was a little more difficult to do.

I couldn't do it… I wouldn't allow myself to burden any of my friends, coming here was a mistake. I didn't even get the chance to leave when the door suddenly opened up. Instantly a faintly smile worked its way onto my lips in a mechanical-like reaction.

"I'm not going to play guess what number I'm thinking of with you again Ishizu! It's not fare when you use your necklace to see into the future to know what number I'm going to say!" The blonde cried back over his shoulder. When he turned around he nearly jumped with surprise. "Ryou what are you doing here? Oh shit! What happened to you?" His lilac eyes looked me over which made me feel embarrassed.

I couldn't help but pull the edges of the jacket tighter around myself. "Bakura and I.. We kind of.. Got into another fight," I whispered. I could hardly hear myself but Malik must have made out what I said because his face had turned grave. "I shouldn't have came here, I'll be on my way. Thanks for everything though Malik." I wanted to pull back and perhaps go off to the park but I was so tired I didn't understand how I was still standing.

"No Ryou. Come in, damn that bastard Bakura.. How we ever were partners I'll never know." I was pulling into the building with the door closing behind us. Whatever he was going to do must have changed as he lead me down the hallway and to the right. He had mentioned be partners with my yami… Just what did he mean by that?

"The restroom is the next door down. You're welcome to clean yourself up. I'd help you but I need to run down to the corner market to get Odion some milk. He and Ishizu are making cookies and well- That's not important. Just clean yourself up and make yourself at home. I'll be back to check on how you're doing later alright?" I could only nod. His smile was so warm and sweet. It was hard trying to see him and my evil side getting along.

The tan Egyptian male told me what door it was one more time before turning back and going back the way we had just came. It was awfully kind of him to allow me to stay but I'd make sure it was alright after washing up by asking his sister and Rishid first. The bathroom door was closed so I knocked lightly before daring to open it. It was only polite for the warning since I didn't wish to intrude on someone.

I walked in and closed the door halfway only to freeze as I turned back around. Hadn't Malik left in the hall? But-if he was gone then-then who was this? The strange man glanced up in surprise at seeing me but the most peculiar thing about him was that he looked so much like Malik. The only slight differences I could make out where that his hair stood out on end, he was more muscular and his face seemed more… Contorted like he was, I don't know, born full of anger perhaps?

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to barge in on you," I stuttered. I could feel my face growing hot from embarrassment. I was going to turn my head and exit but something didn't feel right about this scene. "A-are you alright?"

The lad frowned and looked away for a second before putting something behind his back. He then looked back at me with a look of disgust but that had to be a mask. He was hiding something… Not very well at that since the curve of a silver blade was pointing out from the other side of him. Why was he holding a knife?

"I'll be done in a few minutes," the blonde replied with a faint trace of sadness to him. "Then I'll be out of your way," his words were so carefully chosen that I knew there was something amiss. He wasn't talking about having to use the facilities at all, he was planning on taking his own life.

The thought of suicide had came to myself many times but I knew I could never bring myself to such a length. "It's not worth it," I whispered softly. "Think of all the people who will miss you," I coaxed with a ghost of a smile.

The man snorted and pulled out the blade from behind himself and let it gleam cruelly in the artificial lighting. "No one will miss me besides, everyone I've ever ran into has tried to kill me or told me to go kill myself," he added. Those words sent chills down my spine. The sad part was, I believed him but I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was the tone or way he said it but that didn't make much since. How could people be all so cruel? Surely someone cared for him.

"I don't think that's all true," I offered. "I most certainly don't wish death upon you." The look I received was one of pure shock. It was as if he thought I was the one most likely to wish he were to do himself in. "I know we never met before but you don't seem all that bad to me."

"Don't give me that Ryou," He snapped. His fingers curled tightly around the handle to his murderous weapon. I blinked in surprise. Just how did he learn my name when we never were introduced before? His dark orbs searched me over, sizing me up as if checking to make sure I was indeed who he had labeled me as.

Things seemed to have gotten hotter, nervousness started to sink into my flesh as his eyes gazed at me like vultures. Why was this man so unhappy and full of resentment with hatred? Wow it is hot in here…

"Please, don't do it. Just give me the knife alright?" I tried to lure him on and amazingly his hand stretched out and placed the handle into my grasp. "Thank you," I replied with a grin.

Disappointment was scribbled all over this lad. It was saddening to think that one could want and desire to end everything just like that, I then began to wonder how he had gotten in here or if he might have been relation to Malik or Ishizu. He did bear a great resemblance to the two.

The spiked haired man frowned as he looked me over once more. "I guess I don't need to use this room anymore… At least not as much as you obviously need it." I merely blushed as I checked myself out to see all the grim that soiled my only form of clothes and the filth that clung to my skin. Bruises were already rising to the surface. The image in the mirror soon had my attention.

My yami had battered me royally. My face however was fine apart from the boot print the had left with a bruise forming just under my left eye. The sight took me back as I felt tears swell up in the corners of my eyes. I never meant for any of this to happen but perhaps it was best that it did.. Things all happened for a reason and maybe this was some fate destined for me to prevent this man from killing himself.

Heat crept back under my skin as I glanced back to the other and frowned. "Something wrong?" He asked smugly. Awful grateful for a man who was talked out of destroying himself.

"Yes, I just feel a little… Tired," I muttered slowly before holding onto he side of my head. Things were getting dark and before I could say any more, my strength fleeted me so I fell forwards unable to catch myself.

Mercifully the ground didn't meat my head. Two tan hands had hooked in under my arms and then swearing filled the air before the world around me was cast into darkness.

(I would never normally ask for you to tell me what you readers think of my work but I'm curious.. Should I continue with this twisted story of Marik and Ryou or am I burning moonlight when I have to update my Marik and Bakura story really soon? ...Please tell me and if you have the time, review me, good or bad, I don't care. I want the truth on what my readers think, not a candy version of the truth. Ja.)


	2. It can't be THAT bad

**It took only less then three minutes to get the others attention, these others were the main house occupants. Their main clue that lead them to the restroom was that Marik was swearing loud enough for the neighbors to hear. But like the Bakura house hold, the public was used to this profane language and accepted that their neighbors were just too.. different to even bother with…**

"He should be waking up soon," a female voice whispered softly. A sun kissed hand danced in the sliver of the vision I could manage. "See, my millennium necklace never lies." Okay then, it must be Malik's sister talking. That or I was hearing things incorrectly.

"Your item might not lie but Marik always does," chipped in another voice. This one was a little harder to determine. Working to open my eyes, two forms of tan blurs came swimming into my sight. One was obviously a woman's for her breasts were nearly rubbing up into my face. The way she was leaning allowed me to possibly peer down her top if I wished but modesty took control. Thus my eyes snapped back shut.

A grunt was given from a distance away. "I told you both, he collapsed onto me. Otherwise, I didn't even touch him!" I could feel myself being pulled farther up onto someone's lap. It had to be Ishizu's since I was being pulled towards the direction I last seen her in. "Everything is always my fault.." The other continued scornfully.

Was it now safe to possibly see who was accusing who of what? With one eye slowly opening up, I could see that Ishizu's famine parts were out of my face and decided it was clear to open the other eye as well. Glimpsing around the room I came to realize that there were only three people in here apart from myself. There was of course Ishizu, Rishid, and… And the one other man whom resembled Malik very closely.

A shiver ran down my back as the two men argued over hurting someone. It took near half a second for me to realize that they were arguing over how I became to be in this condition.

"Do you see any blood on the knife? NO!" Hissed the other man to Rishid. "Better yet, do you see any wounds on the boy that might have come from a knife? …WELL?" Anger was quickly devouring up the atmosphere of what was meant to be a peaceful place for one to do their business.

I coughed what was meant to be only once but that turned into several times. I merely wanted to clear my throat before talking but even that backfired against me. "Don't worry Ryou, we'll take care of you. Rishid, mind getting a wet cloth for his forehead for me," the raven haired woman requested more as a command instead of a possible question.

Running water filled up the silence. Well, it did until something in the distance sounded like it had fallen over. Perhaps a ball or something had rolled off onto the floor? "Hey- Where is everyone?" That voice was familiar for sure. Malik was back home so obviously it wasn't a ball that had fallen but the sound of a door closing. Honestly, I could be silly sometimes, a ball? Where had that idea have come from?

"We're in the damn bathroom!" Hissed the obviously ticked off blonde. "But before you too accuse me of anything, I just want to say that-" The lad was shoved aside, thus cutting him off in the middle of his sentence. Malik rushed over and let his violet orbs search me over before turning around.

"What the hells did you do to him?" Malik hissed. Both the blondes glared at one another with their faces full of rage to where if it were possible that I could have sworn they were twins. That or at the vary least, look-alikes.

In frustration, the one with spiked hair, threw their arms into the air before walking out of the room. His screaming rung throughout the house. "I DIDN'T DO IT! FUCKING RA!" The poor guy carried on. His tone and use of language made my face heat up with embarrassment.

The others in the room rolled their eyes. "He-He didn't do anything to me…" I croaked out just under my breath. No one seemed to be listening to me until I had repeated myself a little louder. Ishizu was the only one to look at me normally while the two men looked from one another then gazed at me like I had just told them that 'two plus two equals taco'.

"If he didn't hurt you then.. How did you possibly get all of those bruises and markings?" Malik's step-brother inquired with a weary tone. His expression was as usual, hard to determine. So that is what was going on, they thought that that man had been the one to pummel me.

A faint smile worked itself up onto my face. "Bakura and I.. It was Bakura who did that to me.. I merely found that man in here while he was-" Words seemed to have failed me then. Obviously that man didn't really want them to know what he was trying to do or he wouldn't have been in the restroom with the door closed. He did however leave it unlocked but… I sighed deciding not to tell them what he was up too. "Anyway, I just kind of.. Blacked out I guess."

The Ishtar family each stared at me suspiciously as if trying to see whether or not I was lying to them. In all honesty, I didn't lie to them at all. I just.. didn't mention a few key parts to the story. Malik frowned as he looked to the side and picked up the implement that was once considered as a murder weapon.

"I know Bakura did most of that to you, at least that is what you said when you came here but.. What is this doing here?" Malik asked aloud while holding the weapon up into the artificial light. The point of the object's silver blade gleamed coldly. It only struck me that the item had to have tasted blood at some point after it's forging. The thought of death made me cringe while I forced myself to set back upright. The female Ishtar was kind as well as beautiful but even so I was not all to attracted to her or the idea of remaining on her lap.

"Hm.. He must have stolen it from your collection and decided to clean it with the bathroom sink," The practically bald man offered as a weak suggestion while handing a damp cloth to me. I received it gratefully and placed it to my brow with one hand to keep it in place. Nodding absentmindedly while I arose then sighed. I wanted to talk to that man, he was the one whom needed attention, not me.

"I'm sorry but will you excuse me a moment?" The Ishtars looked towards me curiously. I'd offer them an explanation for my request of absence but nothing came to mind so I merely arose and slowly walked towards the exit.

"Ryou, don't waste your breath on him. Marik won't listen to you," Ishizu replied. Of course she must have guessed what I was planning on doing. More like her sennen item had foretold her of my plans.

"I'm still going to try," I whispered with a tiny smile. Of course she'd know best but the name she had mentioned. 'Marik' did she mean Malik? The idea of her saying 'Malik' only seemed foolish for he was still in the room with her. I shook my head and left.

To be honest, I had little idea of where I was going, just that I wanted to talk with that man. Something crashed further up ahead in another room that quickly was replaced with loud cursing. "It's always my fault.." There was more to the low mutterings but I just couldn't make it out.

"H-Hello?" My little greeting was drowned out as I crept closer and a flash of brilliant yellow zinged past. The crashing of metal against hardwood rung down the halls and I guessed throughout most of the building.

"Come to accuse me of molesting your little friend now Malik?" The male hissed as if the words were distasteful in his mouth. The thought of being molested, not just by him, but by anyone sent chills running down my back. "Speak up or do you think I cut your tongue out while you were sleeping as well?"

Oh my, so much rage dwelled within this poor fellow. It didn't seem quite right for one man to have so much rage pent inside of himself. "Sir.. It-It is Ryou.. Not Malik," I stuttered then couldn't help but laugh nervously. The golden haired male's bitterness reminded me so much of how my yami behaved before throwing me out.

"Oh good. I suppose you told them all about my little incident back there? I wouldn't put it past anyone who shared a body with a thief," He hissed coldly. The blonde turned off to the side and glared out the window. Or perhaps he was trying to scare off his own reflection.

How did he know that I once harbored Bakura? "What-What do you mean by that?" I asked trying to sound more shocked then I really was, providing that were possible. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say for the lad turned back and glared. Thank goodness laser beams couldn't shoot out of his eyes or he would have bore holes in through my skull.

"I told you not to play dumb with me when you barged into me back there. I know that you once had a darker side within you and that you aren't nearly as kind as you let others believe you are," his words were so confident and precise that it was hard to believe that he knew all of this about me when I didn't know a single thing about him.

A sigh worked itself out of my throat as I looked down to my hands. "I'm sorry sir, it's just that.. I didn't think most people would believe me if I were to tell them things like that."

"Heh," he scuffed while purposely tilting a framed picture to a slant that hung on the wall. The picture contained the three members of the Ishtar family. There was nothing odd about that really, until something else in the background caught my eyes. Hidden in back behind the happy bunch was the spiked haired gentalman in the room with me. Unlike all the others whom were cheery, he had a scowl on his face and refused to look at the camera.

"Sir, might I ask you something?" I questioned with a little grin. I couldn't help it, he just seemed so grim that I needed to find a way to cheer the poor chap up a bit.

The golden haired Egyptian growled deeply. "Is it my name because I am this far from decorating the room walls with your blood!" He spat with less then an inch between his thumb and index finger. Was I that annoying?

My crudeness caused my face to burn red. I must have forgotten my manners. It's just that.. This tan man was so.. So very different from anyone I ever meet with the exception that his temper matched and possibly rivaled that of my yami and he looked so similar to Malik.

"That would be nice sir. That and well.. Might I be able to ask.. Are you related to Malik and Ishizu? It's just that you and Malik look so much alike and well.. That-"

"Do all hikaris talk this much or is it that Bakura and I are just oh so lucky?" His sarcasm ignited a small fire inside of me. I hated when people could be so rude as to insult me when I was trying to be kind. Unable to harbor this little fit of anger, I looked back down towards the floor feeling guilty. "These idiots that I'm forced to live and deal with call me Marik. As if changing Malik's middle letter to an r makes them so Ra-be-damned clever."

The other reached up and tilted the picture back into place with a look of hatred in his violet eyes. "Unfortunately that does mean I'm related to Malik. I'm more closely related to him then his own sister is…" Marik ranted on.

As much as I wished not to interrupt, the question kept nagging in the back of my mind as soon as it had came to me. "W-what do you mean.. More closely related to Malik then Ishizu?" Marik chuckled lowly while running a tan hand down the side of the pictures wooden frame.

"Why little Ryou.. Just like you, a dark spirit lived inside of 'poor innocent' Malik. It grew stronger with his hatred and thirst for revenge. This cursed creature is me!" With the last sentence forced out, the spiked haired blonde swung his arm and cast the picture from the wall. The object descended to the floor where the glass plating shattered from the force while the wooden frame work snapped and splintered.

The action displayed before me made my heart race with fear. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know you were.. You can't be that bad, I mean.." why were words so hard to think of? There had to be something I could say that wouldn't make me sound like I was judgmental or foolish.

"Just get out of here," Marik demanded. His eyes seemed to be burning crimson due from his pent up rage, his face was also contorted with veins poping out that only extreme rage could make. For several long second we stared at each other in awkward silence till he moved to the window again. "I thought I told you to get the fuck away from me!"

A silent scream formed in a knot at the middle of my throat as the yami grabbed at an unlit candle and chucked it in my direction, base and all. Several other items were joined not even a moment after till he had forced me to retreat out of the room to where I ran face first into a lilac covered chest. The only thing I could think of then was, 'Thank you god for not letting it be Ishizu's chest'.

"We warned you it wasn't wise. Marik is to stubborn to listen to anyone," Malik muttered with a light tone to his voice like this was normal behavior from the other. "Come let me show you to the room you'll be staying in," The lad smiled so sweetly. It was nearly impossible to imagine him as being someone to create anything out of pure anger with. "I hope you don't mind but you'll have to bunk in my room since Rishid is the only one able to keep that idiot at bay, they have to share rooms and trust me, you don't want to be near Marik when he is truly by himself," Malik replied. I would have thought he was trying to be funny but his face was deadly serious.

I couldn't help but feel bad for this Marik fellow. Thing was Malik was wrong, I did want to be with him by myself, maybe then he might be more open and perhaps.. Tell me what is making him so uptight. With this in mind, I looked to Malik as he went on telling me what we'd all have for dinner that night and his multiple warnings of how I should keep away from the yami he had never told me about until, well, tonight…

(There we go. Another chapter to my tale of Marik and Ryou uh.. 'bliss'. Anyway, comment on it if you will, if not then that's fine by me. Commenting though would however allow me to see what direction you readers would like this story to go into and answer an important questions you might have, otherwise.. My mind shall wonder and well.. Weird things will happen then like nothing you have even seen! Trust me, you don't want that to happen unless if you really want to see the horrors I have in store for these two, heh heh heh...)


	3. Fairytales are stupid

**That night little Ryou and the Ishtars had sit down at the dinner table to eat their meal. It was actually a fairly peaceful night… With the exception of Marik busting into the dinning room and ripping the cloth from the table. Thus, spilling over everyone's food. Eventually the gang went to bed. Marik and Rishid to one room, Ishizu to her own, while Malik and Ryou stayed in another. All was well now with the exception of what all would happen in the world of poor Ryou's dreams…**

There it was again! The sound of dark cackling filled the darkness once more. It wouldn't have been so bad if I could actually see where I was or maybe even who else was with me. Then again, I somehow doubted that I really wanted to see what was really out there that lay hidden in the rich navy cloak of darkness.

"AH HA HA! Ryou! Oh Ryou-kun," a voice taunted. The words faded away while I spun around trying to figure out just where they had first came from. "Stop being so blind! Open your eyes and you'll see all the things that you have done."

What on earth did that mean? As far as I knew, my eye were open. Even if they were closed then there would be no real difference to my vision! I waved a hand in front of my own face but saw nothing.

A low wolfish growl pulsated in the air. The thick royal blue darkness melted away like candle wax, burning into a brilliant hue of scarlet. "Why don't you listen to me? You never even try to anymore!" The harsh tone knocked me back onto my rump. It was like being thrown back by a hurricane wind.

"B-Ba… Bakura! What.. What did I do wrong?" My voice came out rather shaky. Even though the surrounding area was a bone chilling color of blood red, I still couldn't see myself but that didn't stop me from knowing that I was trembling. There was also no denying that it was my yami who was shouting at me.

"Get up you little bitch. I have no doubt at where you are… Malik's bedroom right?" I really wish that my darker self would merely come out into the open and just dispel this wretched vale he had placed about us. "Have you two slept together yet or are you saving that for tomorrow night?" The bloody coloring dissipated into thin air. Pure black surround the area and nothing was there but my yami and myself with a solo light shining down on the both of us.

Just how long has he been standing about two yards away from me? The next question that had crossed my mind just kind of blurted itself out. "Why do you accuse me of being Malik's lover?" My hands had instantly shot up to my mouth and clamped tightly to it. I couldn't afford to leak out anymore unplanned thoughts.

"Excuse me!" The other snarled back. His tone was as deadly and sharp as a scorpion stinger which made me cringe. Drat, why couldn't I ever say the right things? "Hmp, I see you don't want to accept my proposal of coming back home by this weekend. Alright then Ryou, how about you can come home when you bring me Malik's head on a golden plate!"

"BAKURA, NO!" My voice wavered as I held my head in my hands. Tears were burning my eyes while I couldn't help but weep. There was no way I could do such a thing to my Egyptian friend or anyone for that matter. I didn't have it in me to even think about performing such foul and disturbing acts.

The faint light of the moon filled the room as my eyes snapped open. I know that this was not a normal dream or nightmare. Bakura had come to tell me something but I didn't want to hear anymore of what he had said. It was unquestionable that he was furious with me or at least would be for breaking the link but I couldn't let him fill my slumber with such horrible ideas.

Soft snoring seeped into the thin air while I turned my attention into the direction of which it was coming from. At least I didn't wake up Malik. The blonde lad seemed to be sleeping quite contently with the exception of rolling over onto one side after snorting. It was cute actually.

As much as I'd like to watch him in his dream state, the reminder of my hellish other self hit me and forced me to leave the room. I love Malik as a friend but nothing more then that… There had to be some kind of way to prove that to Kura. Perhaps I'd have to search for it later.

The door squeaked lightly as the object was closed behind myself. To bad the hallway didn't have a window. Some moonlight would have been quite nice at the moment since this narrow spacing was unnaturally robed with shadows.

"Beautiful…" My little bit of sarcasm for the day. Tasteful at least and simple as well. No cursing or revolting suggestions stitched into it. I sighed mentally before lightly touching the smooth wall with the tips of my finger while slowly moving forwards like a lost child. At least there seemed to be some light further up ahead after I had made it around the first corner.

Funny how such a small length of light could draw one in like a moth to a flame. Hopefully I wouldn't be so absent mind like the fluttering insect and unintentionally burn myself on this precious gift of light. Just where was it coming from though?

My answer was soon given to me. The front door was left open a jar, say maybe three to four inches.. Not that it truly mattered but the main thing was that it was left open. A chilling thought of someone breaking into the Ishtar household crossed every thought my mind could hold.

"Maybe they just didn't close it all the way and the wind pushed it open?" Was that a question? Was I seriously even trying to pretend that that was what really had happened? Sure it was possible but it was a long shot! A very long shot like trying to hide a snowball in your jacket pocket. Might seem good at one point but the stupid thing would melt just to defy your judgment!

Still, there was that snowball, one percent of a chance that that was what had happened. Deciding to take this impossible odds, I walked over to the door and began to close it but stopped with just a hair of a crack left. Someone was out there. At first I assumed it was Bakura but that suspicion was thrown out as a cloud moved a bit further off to let more silver rays bleach out the area. It was Marik.

Why was the poor guy outside by himself? Shouldn't he be sleeping? Now might be a good time to talk to him however, with everyone else in the land of dreams I figured that perhaps he might be a little more open to talking with me this time. That and the fact that there seemed to be little to nothing around him for him to chuck at my head.

Despite that the door had opened up in complete silence, the tan other turned his head over into my direction. Wow, his hearing was either exceptional or he could sense my presence. A good quality either way but it made me feel kind of clumsy as if I had just ran out screaming 'I'm a little tea pot' at the top of my lungs.

"Come to annoy me with some more of your idiotic questions?" the dark yami asked ever so bluntly. "Or are you making sure that I'm not going to try to run away from home?" Marik snorted then lifted his gaze from my direction towards the silver sphere hanging in the heavens.

A sigh escaped from my throat. "No… I was curious as to what you are doing out here," that seemed fare enough to ask. Unfortunately this lad didn't seem to thrilled with my response as he glared at me from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that I needed your permission to have a life. Forgive me Ryou." The Egyptians words burned like acid. "Might I be able to think out here and look at the heavens from time to time? It's not like I'm ever going to get any closer to it anyway since I'm damned to hell." That was a terrible thing to say! Just what possibly could condemn anyone to such a awful place?

I shook my head in response, silver locks of hair slipped down past my shoulders to where I could just see a small shimmer of the white threadlike hairs while they spilled down to my sides. "You keep pushing me away.. I-I only want to help you," I whispered lowly while looking down at my feet. "I haven't given you a single reason not to trust me have I?"

Marik laughed like this was a very amusing joke. "You were part of a thief, that alone is a good reason." That wasn't fare, it's not like I chosen to have Bakura! "But other then that no. If anything I owe you my life but that kind of shit is meant for fairytale loving potheads."

Hey, that kind of hurt. I for one, I enjoyed fairytales… At least the ones with a happy endings. Sometimes fiction is just better then reality. Another thing, I also didn't take pot or any type of drugs.

Marik's violet orbs looked back off into the night making it clear that he didn't desire my company. Turning around and going back to Malik's room seemed like a good idea but I didn't wish to leave Marik by himself. He just looked so-so cranky. The spiked haired man was now sitting down on the steps leading out to the sidewalk with his chin in one hand. His face was crinkled up from what appeared to be anger. Dear lord, how could he be so ticked off all of the time! Surely something had to make him happy.

"You have to love something…" I muttered while turning my back to him. Maybe letting him cool off by himself might help him but I couldn't see how it would do any good really. But what harm could it do either?

"What did you say?" I looked back a little startled. I assumed that he wouldn't talk to me and desired to have me go. Hesitantly, I repeated myself only to watch his arms wrap around his legs then plant his head against his knees. "No. I can never feel anything like that towards anything or anyone let alone receive such a stupid feeling like love from anything."

"Why do you say that?" I asked in both shock and curiosity. Everyone had someone who loved them, even if it was just one person.. That was still someone right? Marik didn't even bother looking up, his gaze just seemed like it was off in space. "Loves not stupid..."

"Because," He growled bitterly. "I am incapable of such emotions," his voice seemed rehearsed. Like he had heard it a million times before or recorded it to an answering machine. "Not all yamis were born from a mother and father Ryou. Funny how all the hikaris seem to be though. For me love is a myth." The lad's lips curled up to reveal a toothy smirk that appeared to be forced.

The aura he was giving off now wasn't as heated as before but actually was quite the opposite. It was… depressing. "Someone loves you. Surely Malik and-" His scuff caught me off guard and kept me from finishing.

"Malik! You think that he and his family 'love' me?" The golden haired male chuckled in a small fit of laughter. "Rishid had threatened me many times over as well as attempted to kill me while Ishizu has tried to find ways of sending me into the realm of shadows from the rest of eternity for all the things I've put her brother through while the baka Malik not only tried to kill me but gets everything he wants since I'm such a pain in his ass that his bitchy little 'family' will give it to him!"

That couldn't be true! Malik was incredibly nice but his temper was easily ignited at times while the others were still a bit of a mystery to me. Surely they were nothing as what he was passing them off to be as.

"You take their side? I should have known…" Marik muttered lowly. "Malik can never do anything wrong anymore. No hikari can be mistaken, it is always their darker half's fault. Not that I blame you for your little fucked up delusions! Must be nice having everyone hang on every little word you say." With that said the other arose up and pushed past towards the door.

"Marik, wait," I called out against my will. His insults to both my friends as well as myself had hit a little bout of anger. "Don't leave like this.. I know and admit that I've messed up in life multiple times but I try to make up for it. Have you though?"

The tan fellow stopped at the door and pushed it in. I could have sworn that he was going to say something but before a word could be spoken, he had shook his head then entered back into the dark house. The door sealed shut after him.

Wrapping an arm about myself, I shuttered at the sudden able noticeable chill. Not even ten seconds had passed till the door reopened and Marik stepped out half a step. "I tried to fix something once," He mumbled. "But… all it did was make things worse and make me even more loathed. For that foolish mistake of trying to be 'nice'.. I'll never be forgiven," He replied with a small frown before disappearing back into the shadows. The door was left open for me.

What had he done that was so unforgivable? The idea of such a deed made my skin crawl as I decided to head back in a try to sleep. I know it wasn't going to happen, that all I would be able to do was stare at the ceiling. That and gave me more time to think about what Marik had last said. "It's not right…" I whispered to myself after making it back to Malik's room before pulling the sheets tight around myself. Our conversation now took over my thoughts as the night continued on…


	4. I'm not like you

**It's a new day which means new possibilities! … Or it just might be typical time at the Ishtar residence. With the sound of silence filling the air, it could only mean that something not to ordinary was about to happen all to soon…**

It was amazing, I had long given up on the idea of there possibly being a moment of silence in the Ishtar household. One would think that when everyone was asleep that there would peace and ease throughout the home. That wasn't the case here. I have nothing against the oldest living member of the Ishtars but never have I heard of anyone snore so loud that it could cause an earthquake to cower in fear! Malik was no great prize for a roommate either since he would have frequent night terrors that no one else seemed to know about apart from me.

But now it was the middle of the day and yet there was little going on. My friend Malik decided to take out his step brother to a pub for a few rounds at the new game table that was put in. I never seen anyone so shocked from not knowing before hand that a pool table was not a large table full of water but was instead a game consisting of colorful balls and skill.

This left me with the remaining two of the four family members. Supposedly it would have been fine for them to leave Malik's yami counterpart by himself but since I was now staying, no one wished to leave me truly alone with the 'walking time bomb' as they referred to him as.

The sound of faint humming twirled about in the air as it drifted along from a nearby room. This pleasing humming was accompanied with little clicks of dishes rubbing against one another. Seemed Ishizu was washing dishes. A chore that shouldn't take to long since most of their eating devices were either broken, bent or mysteriously disappeared wherever the tan yami was around. Mostly knives and forks…

"Ku ku ku… Stupid pharaoh." A frowned worked at my face . What was so bad about my friend Yami? Seemed the other two dark spirits had a grudge against the past life king. Why my yami hated him so much was still a bit of a mystery to me since he would only give me vague responses while no one wished to explain much about Marik other then 'he is a major pest' or something along those lines.

I moved closer to the tan man who sat in the corner of the room in his little bout of laughter as he grumbled soft cursing under his breath. "What are you doing?" Curiosity was nipping at the far corners of my mind while I leaned in over the other's shoulder.

"Hm? Ah.. Seems my hikari isn't the only curious one of what I do," A crooked grin appeared to be glued onto his face. "Do you like art Ryou?" The question caught me off guard but I faintly nodded my head in response.

"Yes…" I whispered while examining the lad closely. Just what did he have in mind though? Marik chuckled and leaned to one side as if he had just read my thoughts. A single sun kissed hand stretched out in a gesturing motion towards the corner wall.

There on the wall were several pictures scribbled in bold black marker. I could feel my hands fall open as my eyes traveled from one picture to the next. Each piece of work was clearly recognizable and amazingly realistic with only one 'minor' thing about it that unnerved me to my very core.

"It's amazingly done but," I stopped to try to think of the right thing to say then smiled at him in a nervous moment as his cold lavender eyes narrowed onto my brown orbs. His expression read as 'You know, if you say anything to bad about this, your blood will make a great shade of red to color with.' A chuckled squeezed itself out of my throat.

"But what? Don't tell me. You're not a cross dresser," he sneered while rolling his eyes. "All hikaris have worn a dress at least once Ryou, believe me, I know…" A devious smirk appeared on his lips as he spoke.

It wasn't my fault, I never wanted to wear a dress but somehow Yugi had talked Malik and me into doing such a thing. Personally I blame Joey for this and his sick fetishes. He had to have been the one to talk the tri-colored haired hikari into making us do such a thing for Wheeler was the one who had pulled out three dresses from his own closet!

"To be honest, I think you are second best in looks. Stupid Malik has the figure of a woman so it comes as no surprise that he naturally would appear the most feminine in a dress." Marik's words actually sounded like they were actually true thoughts which made me wonder if he often pictured his hikari in a dress.. Or me for that matter.

"Can I ask you how you um.. Came across this information?" I raised a silver eyebrow in questioning. The blonde man recapped his permanent black marker before looking back to his own work. Marik's eyes then traveled to the forth figure on the wall whom looked similar to Yugi but appeared to be older looking as well as a hair taller then him. This must have been Yami or 'the pharaoh' as Marik called him.

"We might not get along at all but Wheeler has a mouth that can't keep a secret. It only makes since to trick him into telling me all of the little things I desire to know that my hikari does when he is out with others." His voice sounded dull. Like he kind of resented not being there himself to see what all went on when he wasn't present.

"You do know, Yami didn't wear a dress don't you?" I asked while examining the picture of the king of games in what looked like a stereotypical medieval princess outfit. Another chuckle tickled the insides of my throat when I realized that Yami was wear three pointed hats one his larger points of hair. That was just too cute.

The tan yami nodded slightly but shrugged. "The robes he had to wear in the past are very similar to that of a dress today," he responded. Marik arose to his feet before turning to glare down at me. "You do know… I never usually draw things so disgustingly 'adorable' as that," the word 'adorable' seemed to be forced out like it was foreign to his mouth. Distasteful even.

Temptation begged me to ask just what was meant by that but realization then struck. He must be more into the death and disturbingly graphic designs. Skulls drenched in blood with fire all around perhaps. That seemed to be the typical thinking of Bakura anyway.

"I can do better," he grumbled. The marker left his hand and flew across the room into the opposite corner. What did he mean by that? I glanced back and reviewed each picture. If I didn't know better then I could have sworn that these drawings appeared to be like coloring book pages. Clear and smooth in design but more realistic then a coloring book for sure.

"Marik, their all-" I flinched as he cut me off by kicking over the closest object to him; a small side stand. Pencils rolled off as a bowl of hardtack candy spilled in miniature explosions of noise as each piece hit against the flat surface before landing onto the carpet.

"Rubbish!" He finished my sentence with the complete opposite of what I wished to say. "Fluffy pieces of trash that lack depth!" I awaited for the tan woman to appear from the kitchen to see what was going on but it then hit me that she might have went further back into the house to do something else. "They have no feeling to them!" He snarled in rage.

"No! their good, really Marik. I never seen anything like it," to be honest it rivaled my own work. That is what his art reminded me of; my own. The chap shot a icy glance towards my direction before slowly removing his hands from the side of his face.

"You're just trying to keep me from turning on you," the yami accused through clinched teeth. "I don't feel anything from it," he muttered not long after and went to leave but I grabbed onto his arm without much thought. I just couldn't let him leave just like that for something I might have possibly caused.

My goodness, he was becoming a pain in the neck! Why did he always leave when things upset him after destroying things first? "Don't ever accuse me of things I never said! Just where are you running off to anyway? Running doesn't help you any when you should be telling people what it is that's bothering you!"

Marik blinked once then narrowed his eyes. "Let go of me. I'm not like your yami or foolish friends who will listen to your lies." This infuriated me. I couldn't explain it but no one ever makes false statements about me.. And my friends are not foolish!

Clouds of anger seeped into my emotions that didn't dispel until I acted out their will and started pounding my balled up fists against the other's chest. "Never call my friend foolish and don't ever call me a liar again!" My fist was caught in midair then joined by the other. "Stop it!"

I could feel my eyes narrow as I tried to yank myself free from the other's grasp only to watch as he moved both of my wrists into on of his large caramel colored hands and kept them in place. It was like I wasn't even moving when in all reality, I was flailing around like a fish out of water.

"So you aren't as peaceful as you lead on… I told you Ryou." I paused my squirming to work up my most evil glare to combat his insults. I must have looked like a puppy out in the rain since he chuckled like my struggling was adorable to him. "You couldn't hurt me even if I placed a knife in your hand and stuck the point to my neck. Heh heh heh, you're pathetic Ryou. My hikari is harder to keep still," he mocked before tightening his grip around my wrists till a whimper escaped from me.

"Ugh… Bakura, help…" My quick fire anger vanished as quickly as it had came. What was I doing? Calling out for my darker half to come save me when he refused to acknowledge my thoughts by cutting off our link.

"Yes, call out for your dark to come rescue you. You and Yugi both do the same thing while I've taught my hikari to learn to rely on only himself!" I winced in pain from his rough jerk to my wrists. "Friends won't save you when you need it most Ryou and Bakura isn't going to come to your aid whenever you want him. You're all by yourself in the end, no one ever realizes that until it's to late!"

"How would you know?" I hissed before a wave of terror washed over me and sunk deep into my skin. Marik's aura alone was enough to make my heart skip a beat. All this hatred, bitter rage and envy for the world was stitched into his emotions as well as features.

The golden blades for hair of a yami released his grasp only after he shoved me down onto the ground. His eyes appeared to glow with his furry. He was going to kill me, or so I thought until he growled, bearing his teeth before exiting for the room silently.

My breath finally returned after the limp in my throat had cleared itself and came about in quick jagged gasps. "No one has ever shown him love or care before." I jumped startled by Ishizu's voice then blushed after I came to notice she had been watching us in silence.

Several seconds passed before I noted what she had just said. "What do you mean? Surely someone has…" I offered but the girl shook her head in a sullen response.

"Marik doesn't know anything about these things because no one will show him them. It's suicide to even try to do so. Te only reason he didn't tare you apart is that… He knew I was watching over you." I couldn't help but notice the split second pause for her reasoning of why I was still standing here. Had she really been the reason to my survival or was there something she knew and was keeping from me?

The raven haired woman removed her fingertips from the edges of her necklace's eye. I swear it was glowing a second ago but that might have been my mind playing tricks or some stray rays light hitting it. A million reasons could be behind it's possible glowing.

"Come, he just needs to be alone," the lass assured confidently. Her left hand rested on my shoulder as she lead me away from the room to another. I had a feeling that Marik needed the complete opposite. His little speech was all about relying on ones self and no one else.. Perhaps that was because Marik knew nothing apart from doing just that or drawing.

"Here, I'll show you how to make manna." I merely nodded. Perhaps I could make some then give it to Marik as a peace offering. At the very least, that would be my excuse for getting near him again…

(I didn't read over this so most likely it couldn't be any good. Please tell me what you think of it as a reader and if I get enough 'boos' to it then I'll redo the whole chapter. I appologize for it's lameness but I'm majorly depressed right now (Which is when I wrote this chapter.) so yeah, I'm terribly sorry. Spelling errors are all my fault but please ask me questions about the story chapter or whatever. I might redo this one, just tell me your thoughts... Ja...)


	5. Tossed out again

The sound of female giving out instructions lightly drifted from the kitchen where Ishizu is teaching Ryou how to make manna; a type of flat bread that is rather bland in taste but filling and common in Egypt. Unknown to the two, a certain male has been watching them both in silence from a distance within a shroud of darkness. Certainly the hidden yami has things better to do but for some reason he feels compelled to watch this ritual of bread making… 

Watchful ocean blue eyes glanced over the small mess on the countertop then was accompanied with a small smile. "You need to push harder onto it, like this," the dark haired woman commented then placed her hand on top of my own. The pestle grinded harder against the mortar's edges, crushing the wheat sprouts into thick bits of mush.

"How long does this actually take to make?" I couldn't help but wonder out loud. Surely it couldn't be too long since I knew well enough that manna was a special bread that didn't rise since it contained no yeast. I didn't however know that it's take this long to grind up wheat sprouts...

The tan woman chuckles softly while removing her hands from mine to let me have a shot of grinding. "It's takes about two and half hours to bake," she replied. My jaw dropped along with the pestle. Luckily my jaw was attached to me and the rock hard pestle didn't have far to go and had landed safely into the mushy grain.

A nervous chuckle finally escaped from my throat as I picked the item back up slowly. "You're joking. Aren't you?" Certainly she had to be.

Peeking up from the corner of my eyes I saw that she only smiled to me which wasn't to common of a thing for her to do unless if she knew something others didn't or if she was right on something as well. "Now add a handful of flour to it. Mix that together, then add what you find necessary until it becomes doughy enough to kneed."

Oh my, this is going to take more then two hours… I sighed bitterly but held a faint smile to my person. "Amazing." What could be amazing? Hadn't she made this before? "Are all hikaris this gender confused? Making bread is women's work, that and cooking in general." Okay, that was definably not the girl member of the Ishtars.

The two of us in the kitchen peered up from our messy creation in progress to find that someone had finally decided to join us, or at the very least wished to criticize both of us with one blow. "Hello there 'brother'… Why don't you go out for a nice ride to get some fresh air?" That might be a good idea since there was tensioning thicken in the air between those two.

Scowling, the tan yami crossed one arm in front of his stomach while the dangled by his side. "Oh you wound me Ishizu," mockery twisted into his voice. The girl's eyes narrowed in on Marik's before she leaned herself against the counter's edge. Her look and body language seemed to be telling him to just leave. "Fine I'll go then but Ryou is coming with me."

Why did the air suddenly seem to grow hotter? Perhaps it was just my nerves acting up since now the two others were looking at me with their full attention. It felt like I was wearing a dynamite vest; uncomfortable and I had a feeling no matter what I did, something was going to make me regret whatever decision I would choose.

"You can't expect him to go," Ishizu responded. Mercifully, she pulled her gaze away from my direction to glare down the blonde. "He still has a little more ways to go before the bread is to even be baked."

"Oh whoop-de-do! So he misses out on a few little ingredients to loser toast, what will it matter? I'm sure he wants out Baset's kitchen anyway." Marik hissed out while coming further into the room. His mockery of our bread making was a little hurtful but the remark of this place being Baset's kitchen was enough to make up for it. It was kind of funny, so I thought anyway.

With the new founded silence, I turned towards the only living female Ishtar. Her eyes were closed in thought whilst one hand reached up to her neck. Tan fingers lightly stroked at the golden item a few moments before those dark orbs were revealed once again. "Fine. Ryou, if you wish, you may go with him."

Was it just me or was I the new little play toy for this family? They all tossed me around like a hacky sack and kept me from being with one of the members but when it suddenly came down to there only being two players about, one just surrenders the toy after enough badgering from the remaining other.

"I don't mind but will you be alright here by yourself? I don't want to stick you with this whole mess to clean up." That would be just rude of me. The realization of none of them wanting me to be alone with Malik's counterpart crept back into the corners of my mind. Didn't they think he was to dangerous for me to be alone with and yet now Ishizu was letting me go with him?

"She can handle it, it is a woman's job and she is a woman after all so come on you creampuff," Marik demanded and pulled upon my wrist to insure of my coming. I suddenly wished I had a say in this but this was what I had been asking for since we met wasn't it? To be alone with him and perhaps talk to him about a few things. But now, I kind of regretted my wish…

The figure in the kitchen fleeted away, a sad smile was the last thing I recall seeing up until the sound of a door opening reached my ears. Blinking several times I soon realized that we had left the house and were around in back of it.

"We're going for a little ride for some of that 'fresh air' that whore was babbling on about. Maybe even a drink or two while we're at it." That put a grin to his face. His twisted smile sent a small shier down my spine. How could he be so cold and mean to his own relation? Granted if he was truly related to the girl in the kitchen or not, he could be a bit nicer.

Wait, did he say that we were going for a ride? As if the lad had read my thoughts, he shoved a helmet into my stomach. The force was enough to make me sick if I hadn't willed myself to keep all of my breakfast down. "We're going to ride that?" I asked nearly horrified by the bike before us.

"No Ryou, we're going to flap our arms and chant until Slifer comes down out of the heavens to give us a lift," sneered the golden tanned Egyptian. "What do you think?" His sarcasm must be how he dealt with everyone and the annoying part is… that he was really good at it.

I sighed under my breath as the helmet slipped on over my cranium and was positioned into place then clipped on securely. "Aren't you going to wear one?" I wondered out loud. Surely he wasn't going to dare ride without one.

Shaking his head, the lad only chuckled as he climbed on into the front of the cycle and started the device. "Hurry up or I'll leave you here with the only chick in the universe who can see into the future and know all of the Jeopardy answers before the questions are asked."

No need to tell me twice. So I climbed on in behind the other then wrapped my arms around his waist. Oh dear, this whole trip was going to be a living nightmare. I never been on such a vehicle in my life that I can recall of so this was going to be one terrible adventure.

"Hmm… Hold on to me any tighter and you'll snap me in half," Marik grumbled. A squeaked 'sorry' was the best I could force up for an apology as my arms slackened on their death grip. "Don't worry, I'm a safe driver…" The cackle he have off wasn't helping me believe him and the split-second jerk forwards really didn't make me trust his abilities.

Holding on for dear life, I couldn't help but cling tighter onto the yami's waist and balled up the sides of his shirt hems in my grasp. I couldn't even dare to bring my eyes to open while what felt like ever little bump sent a small jolt through the motorcycle that travel directly into my rump before branching out to my limbs. Wind whizzed past as something brushed against my face in what felt like little fly legs tickling at my skin.

"You can open your eyes damn it!" Hissed the driver. Their tone cause me to sneak a small peek which turned into a wide eyed stare. He was looking back at me! That meant he wasn't watching the road and obviously didn't see that stop sign we just ran though!

"MARIK, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" The sentence leaped out of my mouth in a rush at possibly the same speed we were going; which I'm positive was well over the speed limit. This was insanity! Fear sent my mind into an overdrive of panic while everything was going black.

Tires squealed while our bodies were flung to the right in a turn that could only be made on a dime making me think that we surely had just died. Hit by a semi truck or something had horribly gone wrong.

Pulling my face out of Marik's back I came to realization that we had stopped perfectly into a small parking space behind a set of buildings. That and the darkness I had seen before was my own fault since I had closed my eyes back there yet again.

"You idiot, do you always drive like that? You could have killed us both!" My hand had smacked against the driver's back before I could make since of what I just did. "I-I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to…" I stammered weakly. My criticizing was enough to piss him off so my hit might have just gotten me in a different death situation.

To my surprise, Marik chuckled before breaking out into a loud fit of laughter. "Oh Ra," he cackled lowly while one hand twisted the key and turned off the bike. "You were really freaked out by all of that weren't you?" The grinning yami studied my face then laughed harder. Apparently my anger for his stunt was funny to him.

"I told you that I'm a safe driver. I haven't been in a single wreck yet." Oh really, I thought to myself. Could it be because he possibly had made everyone else swerve out of his way during that little stunt? "There is a reason I brought you out here," he continued on then leaned his head against the connection for the handlebars.

Really now? "Oh? I'm listening," all my panicked anger had been pushed aside for me to deal with later. This seemed more important anyway. I couldn't help but wonder just what it was that he wanted to tell me about.

"I just-" The lad gritted his teeth and growled within his throat. This action sent new found fear through my body. Oh dear god, was he going to be alright? He sounded like he was in pain while fear for my own self being crept in under my skin. "I want to-to.. This was so much easier to say in my head!"

Poor Marik, something was wrong with him. It looked like he was having a battle with himself. One hand propped himself up on the bike while the other clutched at his forehead. "Marik, are you alright?" How could I ask such a stupid question when it was obvious he was in some kind of pain.

"Get off and stay away from me." Blinking, I tilted my head in confusion. "I told you to get off and stay away from me Ryou!" Everything happened so quickly. From being pushed off the back of the bike and landing upon my rear to the cycle roaring back to life and speeding away with Marik on it.

What-what happened? Both my hands stung painfully as I pushed myself up to my feet only to see that I had scrapped both of my hands open from the crude landing. That wasn't the worst of things as I was to find out soon enough.

"Oh, poor hikari. I see you've meet Mariku. If you're trying to win him over then I suggest that you stop now because he can't feel much apart from anger and stupidity in that narrow mind of his…" Oh please no, anyone but him. Not Bakura, not now…

(Oh, I didn't have time to proofread. I'm entertaining kids. Sadly, I am terrified by them but heh, they 'need' attention.. Anyway, Happy new year and ask me all the questions you want about this chapter or any thing really.)


	6. A villain can be a hero too

**In came the little hikari with the support of another, an hour or so after Ryou had accidentally ran into his counterpart. Malik had been actually handed the white light quite latterly. By who was only all too obvious; Bakura had dragged his hikari all the way back to the Ishtar residence in a squirming mass only to drop him at Malik's feet. The golden haired hikari had slipped an arm about Ryou's waist to help him up after a harsh exchange of words before leading him just inside of the home…**

"I believe you left your trash in the parking lot. Don't you know it's illegal to litter?" the thief inquired as he stood peering in from the doorway. "I suggest that you be more careful next time," he concluded. His devious cola eyes glinted with pleaser at the sight pf my battered body.

Anger dwelled inside of the tan hikari but not all of it was directed towards Bakura. In fact, that was the one person he held the least of his anger towards right that moment since he knew that the thief was hard to please and just how cruel he could really become. If anything, he was growing pissed by the thought that his sister allowed Marik to be with me by himself and Marik-Marik.. Well, was just a pain in the ass twenty-four seven. At least that is how Malik usually reacted to things such as this.

"Perhaps when the time is right, you'll take the lad back after I fix him up a bit?" I jolted startled by the sound of voices talking around me. The action was much like that of waking from one of those dreams where the dreamer is falling towards peril but jump awake right when their body would have hit the bottom.

Those voices were familiar, I've heard them collaborate before once unless if that was a dream itself. "Don't let him get me," I murmured softly while clawing at whatever I could get my hands on. The touch of cold metal met my fingers, it was one of the chains on Malik's hoodies.

From the corner of my eyes I could see that Kura wasn't at all happy with my pleading but I didn't want to go back to him. The twit had somehow projected a package of horrible obscenities into my mind as he carried my squirming body back to the Ishtars home. Monsters oozing slime crept in on me while another one was missing it's head with green blood gushing from it's severed neck kept coming.

"Oh please, no Bakura.. No, don't!" The cold chain in my grasp was the only thing keeping me anchored to the real world. "I didn't do anything!" The headless creature reached out with a boney hand, a patch of flesh clearly missing since I could see it's knees though the hole where the back of it's hand should have been.

Sinister laughing emitted from the darkness further behind the sickening monstrosities. "You brought this on yourself. I offered for you to come home yet you chose to run away from me. A foolish mistake." Rattled on a voice that only a cold hearted murder could own. "Besides, the shadows need to feed…"

More vile soulless spirits came from the shadows, several actually rose up from the ground and pulled out their gnarled bodies free then clawed their way closer. Several of the beasts had organs behind dragged behind with blood gushing out of their bodies like a crimson fountain as another's arm fell clean off with a limp thud.

Why couldn't I see anyone else around me any longer? I knew where I was. My body was still in Malik's arms possibly in a violent tremble but my mind was trapped in the realm of shadows quite possibly about to be devoured by those ghouls. A scream erupted from my throat as one of the horrid things eye popped out and dangled free out of the decaying socket. It swayed like an upside down paddleball.

"You want me to leave do you Malik? Alright then.." Those two must have been working at some kind of deal over my well being but how could I possibly tell. I couldn't hear anyone over the groaning of hunger but Kura.

"I'm sorry for leaving you like this Ryou but I can't let you go unpunished. If only you would have accepted my terms." How could he sound like this was burdening his heart when he was the one who put me in this situation? The oozing beast gave a slurping sucking cup sound as it thrust closer. "Goodbye Ryou-kun…"

Tears stung the corners of my eyes as my darker self's voice drifted further away like the sound of faint rumbling thunder. He-he left me here to be the feast of this internal heck hole? "No, Bakura! Please yami, you can't…" He could and he did leave me behind in this increasing darkness. Another scream tore through my body as one of the vile things latched onto a pant leg to pull itself closer and further on up.

The item in my grasp was being pulled out from my fingers. No, Malik was leaving me here by myself now too, though I couldn't see him I could still feel his golden chain till it was yanked free. "No-no, please no… Don't do this to me please…" each word was chocked out as I tried to back away yet fell down onto my rump in the middle of a circle made by cursed demons.

There was no where to go and they had every exit blocked off. This was it, I was going to be a meal for these decaying freaks. "I'm sorry Bakura! I'm sorry for everything!" It was frivolous, he would not hear my cries of misery mixed with sorrow. It was over…

All the Ishtars were home and none of the closest three out of the four members knew what to do nor could they prevent Bakura from leaving their mist. "How could you not see this coming Ishizu? You have the necklace! Weren't you thinking, at all?" Malik cried once his step-brother had managed to stop Ryou from strangling him by the chains of his lilac hoodies.

"That's not important now, what is important is that Ryou may not live any longer if we keep arguing like this," Rishid reasoned to his young master. He often had a way of calming down the tan teen and wouldn't allow him and his step-sister to quarrel if he could prevent such a thing.

The three members looked down at the shaking body they had laid upon the couch in their living room. Each one felt sorry and deep regret as the pale lighter version of Bakura tossed around on the object, tarring up the pillows and ripping the cushions in his horrible struggle to keep his mind and soul in tact.

"What in Anubis' name is going on?" the final member of the family snarled from the side. They all turned to see that Marik was leaning against the door frame with his back resting against it. "Well? Someone going to let me in on what all this noise is all about?"

Three sets of glaring different colored eyes turned to the yami then back at the dying boy who let out another ear splitting scream. "I'll-I'll do anything!" the lad hissed while arching his back up into the air with a painful look on his mug. "Get off me! AHH!" Ryou's sweat drenched body fell back down, hard into the piece of furniture.

Marik stood straight up from the cry that reached his ears and moved in pushing the others to either side when he cut through the small crowed. "D-don't! No!" Muttered the snow haired lad in his quivering tone. His light colored fingers clutched at the rough fabric around him turning their knuckles deathly pale.

"How long has he been like this?" the sun kissed yami asked under his breath. His dark bloodstained eyes flicked from the corner of his eyes to the unfortunate male before him. No one answered his question, they all were lost for words as they witnessed Marik move in to kneel beside the other.

The first to recover from the action with the least amount of surprise was the female, she knew of something that was to take place later on that her family didn't know. This might be why she had the least amount of fear about poor Ryou's life but hide it well from the others.

"Hold still you little runt," growled the tainted soul as he pinned Ryou down by his left shoulder while the other hand rested upon Ryou's forehead. "Darkness dwells deep in thy head, if you keep him bound he'll soon be dead…" Malik growled lowly. How dare his yami make fun of his friend's predicament!

A firm hand clasped onto the fuming hikari's shoulder but to his surprise, it was his servant who held him back. "No, don't…" those two words were quite popular that night. "Look…" the olive eyed male offered to reason with one hand back towards the one man he truly loathed most; Marik.

Yellow rays of light shined in the most curious pattern, the light ray seemed to form the shape of an eye square in Marik's forehead. Both of the lad's eyes were closed with the exception of the new 'third eye'. The odd rhyming emitting from his mouth turned into that of ancient Egyptian few knew to date as the item on Malik's hip erupted with blinding white light. The room vanished for a sun of three seconds then faded back into sight.

"Wha-what?" The darkness was gone and with it retreated the foul shadows of the night. I could have sworn that I saw a familiar face or at the very least could hear a voice I knew with me as the monsters had been swarming over my wounded body but… I-I couldn't say for sure.

The faint shade of off-white caught my attention but when I sat up and squinted my eyes to get a better view, it had left like it never had been there. In its place stood the very person who had abandoned me in the parking lot with the sour scowl he casually worn on his dark skinned face.

The sight before me jarred something of a spark of memory. "Thank you," I whimpered faintly before wrapping both arms around the closest Ishtar . He had been the one to save me, it was his voice that I could hear, the one who had frightened even the most terrifying of shadow creatures.

I couldn't see the expression written on Marik's face but I was sure he wasn't at all pleased by me hugging him like this and awaited for him to push me away or take a crack at the back of my head. Oddly enough, I didn't feel any kind of expected pain from the yami but instead felt absolutely nothing.

"Can someone please get this kid off me?" For some reason this wasn't what I expected to hear him say as well. For one, there was no swearing, I had grow accustom to the caped man's dirty mouth and vulgar gestures that he frequently used. "Oh Ra, it's leaking on me!" he cried before wiggling about in my arms. "Make it stop!"

One of the others present started to chuckle which caused a chain reaction of laughter from my hero's pleading. I can't believe he rescued me, well, actually I can. I had told him and the others before that Marik couldn't be all bad. Perhaps it was his little bit of kindness that spared me from a terrible fate.

Warm tears ran down my cheeks as I pushed myself closer to the helpful yami. "Thank you Marik, thank you so much for-for…" the words just stopped as I sobbed in bitter sweet emotion. Something soft patted my back as I opened my eyes to find a distant set of purple ones looking down.

"You're… wel-come." The spike haired man murmured. He seemed to have struggled on the word 'welcome' as if it were a curse word to him unlike all the others he likes to use so well. "Now.. Kindly get off me."

So much for his good manners. I couldn't resist giving him a small grin as I whipped off some stray tears from my face after releasing his midsection. I could have sworn he was going to say something else but instead, his mouth closed then turned around towards the exit. "Aishiteru Mariku…" I whispered mentally, or at least I thought I did until he glanced over his shoulder then turned around then left…

(Well, to be honest, this chapter is way better then my original one I was going to use for this so be appreciative that I didn't use that one instead. Trust me when I say the first draft of it was insanely lame... Ask me questions if you will and oh yes, can anyone tell me how i can make it to where those not loged in can review? That would be helpful. That is all for now, ja.)


	7. I love you to DEATH

**Two days have passed since that horrid night that Ryou had seen or dealt with his own yami. This was a good thing he figured since he knew full well that Bakura could hold a grudge for over a millennia. For some reason however, no one in his hosts home have been sticking around and would find some reason to avoid the hikari…**

Sitting on the couch by myself, I couldn't help but sigh out in boredom. Everyone was avoiding me and I knew it! That wasn't the worst part, no, it's just that I felt like no one wanted me around. Not that I blamed any of them. I shouldn't be here bothering them anyway…

Currently, the Ishtars have given me a free run of their humble abode since they were all out doing, god only knows what since I zoned out after the last few excuses. There had to be something I could do to get out of their hair…

The sound of a door opening caught my attention. I half expected to see Marik only to be faintly disappointed. Instead, their stood another tan male, carrying a half filled sack slung over his broad shoulders. "Hello Rishid, staying for a bit?" It would be nice to have some company, even for a minute.

"Sorry Ryou, I only dropped by to drop off a few things," he replied as he walked past into another room where he stayed hidden for a little bit. Faint noises of shuffling coming from his direction. "But I'd be more then happy to talk to you later tonight," he called back.

"Oh, alright," so he didn't really want to speak until later when I'd probably forget about it. Great… I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them in silence. Perhaps I'd take my own personal tour of the place when he left.

The sound of fabric rubbing against itself drifted through the silence as the other walked back into the room. "Alright," the man grunted. "What's wrong?" Glancing up I soon realized that I had been mindlessly staring at the floor. That and Rishid was now standing before empty-handed. "And don't says it's nothing because that's always a lie." he added.

What was I to tell him, that I felt left out and worthless? I couldn't burden him with any of my emotions and want of company. "I'm just thinking," I whispered softly while lifting up my head. I flashed him a small smile before laying my head back against the tops of my knees.

"A cryptic clue meaning that you're miserable and trying to find a way to perhaps… dispel this emotion?" A grin pulled at the Egyptian's lips. The tan male plopped down into a chair across from me. How was it that he knew half of what I was thinking? It was as if he owned the necklace and not his sister that had been handed it back some time ago.

I glared off to the side suddenly not wanting to talk. Was it possible to just enjoy their presence without them talking? The several black marker drawings on the corner wall received my visual attention. "He's really talented…"

Either the pony tailed haired man was looking at the same thing I was now or he knew exactly who I was talking about when he spoke. "Yes, Marik is exceptional for someone in his… mental state but most artist are insane. Sure as… Picasso." Did he just label Malik's darker self as insane? He seemed perfectly stable mentally, it was his emotions that were swinging about like a pendulum out of control. Happy one minute, pissed the next, then at ones throat the other.

"He's not insane," I muttered. My eyes wondered from the drawing of Yugi to the pharaoh in a princess dress. The three princess hats placed upon each tuff of hair still adorable as when I first had seen it. "He's just so different." He's very different from everyone, at least those of whom I've met so far.

Rishid scuffed, turning my eye onto him. "He's different alright," Here we go. This is the rant about how unlovable poor Marik could be and how vicious and bloodthirsty he is. "He can't feel the things most people can but he wants too." That was far different then what I was expecting to hear.

Studying him carefully, I watched the other wondering just what were they thinking. Just what did he mean exactly. His dark green eyes looked back at me then with an outstretched hand he beckoned for me to stand.

"Come, there is something.. I-I think you should see." Rishid stood up from his seat and turned towards the hall but glanced back to make sure I was coming. What choice did I have but to follow, I had wanted someone to talk to and now here was my chance.

"But what about you having to leave? I mean, didn't you have somewhere to go?" Not to be rude but he did wish to be gone soon and talk later.

"It can wait a little longer, beside, it will only take five minutes I assure you." There was nothing I could do other then agree. His company couldn't be so bad after all, I did want someone to hangout with even if it lasted just five minutes.

Rising up, the two of us lift the living room or what I have heard a certain yami call it 'the living dead room'. It made little since to me but it amused him. Must have been a personal joke or something of the sort.

A few pictures clung to the hall walls. A few were of their homeland while others were of them and their friends that they made here. Just what was he going to show me? The question ran through my mind as we stopped before the bedroom door to where Rishid and Marik slept.

"I do suggest that you cover your eye till I say it's safe to look. I know how much you hate gore," Rishid replied. His face now grim and the markings on his face combined with the shadows on his face were almost frightening.

Gore? Oh Ra, why did almost everyone else I know hove this sickening fetish for blood and violence? "I'll be fine.." I murmured just under my breath. The door then opened in new found silence, the darkness inside soon retreated as a light was flipped on.

The walls were a mess of pictures in various colors; most were hues of scarlet and dirt brown. A scribbling of organs spewing out of some unfortunate souls stomach was surrounded by other zombie like creatures dieing and reaching out for help. What hellish things to draw! What happened to the cute side of Marik that was displayed in the corner of the living room?

"He's not allowed to kill people freely like he wants to so I sacrificed the walls in order to let him get out his lust for death." there was more he was going to say but the Egyptian closed his mouth to keep from leaking out to much information.

"Is-is this what you wanted to show me?" My voice trembled. Thank goodness he shook his clean-shaven head no. These disturbing pictures were as if that nut Jigsaw from that horror flick Saw had been here to get more ideas on how to torture his victims for the next movie.

Rishid moved slowly to one side and placed his hand on closet door. "It's in here so you'll have to come closer." Providing that there is a god, then please don't let there be a dead body hiding in the closet. This whole room was like hell that I began to wonder how either of them could sleep in here at night.

The door was slide over to one side and brightly illuminated once the cord connection to the light above was pulled. The confines of this space was very different compared to the walls of the room itself. There were few pictures but in bold black there were words scrawled on each wall. They all went in various directions but these weren't mere randomly selected words. It was… poetry.

"How can he break my field of isolation? What is his source of penetration? Perhaps he is the one the heavens sent, or is this an illusion of my reality bent? This must be an accident or punishment most low, for him I do hunger but will gladly let go."

The fellow behind me finished reciting when my eyes hit the last word. "It sounds almost like a love poem… Or a person who can't make up their mind about something," I replied while looking back. "I don't understand though. Is this what you wanted to show me?" I turned back to the poem the adopted Ishtar had pointed out to me.

"That's because the writer is." I could feel my whole body twitch involuntarily for a moment, tell me someone other then Rishid had wrote this! Not to be rude, but he was to old for me and just not my type. "We think Marik is attracted to you," the olive eyed male finished. Wait, did he say Marik?

"You-you mean he… He wrote this?" There was an awkward silence. Perhaps I should have hoped that this poem was directed to anyone but me rather then that it was someone other then poor Rishid. Yes, I enjoyed Marik's company even though it was painful in most parts but he did save me from a grizzly death not even a full two days ago.

"Ryou, we've all been talking about this and I only discovered this one this morning," The lad murmured. Wait, they've been discussing this? WHO'S THEY? "We all come to the conclusion that Marik feels something for you but he just can't explain it. Haven't you wondered why he has been deliberately avoiding you more then he first has? Why when he sees you?"

To be honest, no. I just automatically thought it was because he didn't want me clinging to him and thanking him again for helping me out of the Shadow Realm. "I'm not sure what it is but he likes something about you. Malik has told me and Ishizu that he saw Marik watching you sleep on the couch last night."

Okay, that was a little creepy but at the same time struck me as cute but still.. Definably creepy. The sound of a doorknob rattling caught both of our attentions as we looked back to see the devil himself lingering in the doorway.

Each one of us looked at the other two in stunned silence. "What the fucking hell are the two of you doing in my closet?" Hissed the spiked haired blonde. "Tell me before I decided to see what the two of you look like with each others severed head on the other's shoulders!"

Uh, I couldn't think of a single thing to say but that colorful image was now sketched into the back of my mind and I could honestly say, I wasn't looking forward to that possibility.

Violet orbs looked past us to the open closet behind then locked with my own eyes. "Get out of my room! You weren't suppose to see anything!" The tan madman hissed while grabbing onto the top of a dresser. "No one was meant to know! I wish I never met you, why did you have to make things so damn complicated!"

There was more to this rant but I was to scared to focus on the words as the dresser was toppled over and make a loud crashing decent to the floor. Several things were clearly broken by the sound of it. Marik's eyes were dilating as his shoulders heaved up and down in rage, his hand reaching in back of himself and pulling out the millennium rod.

"Why can't any of you just leave me alone and stay out of my business?" The man was clearly going out of control and lunged forwards. In an instant my eyes squeezed shut as the noise of two people brawling filled the bedroom.

"Ryou! Get out of here now!" Barked Rishid's voice. He was clearly struggling at keeping control of things by his tone but I obeyed without hesitation once my eyes had forced themselves back open. "Marik you bastard, why are you so overdramatic about this?"

The conversation soon lost to my ears as I headed back into the living room and collapsed into the far corner. How could I have allowed this to happen? Why did I always ruin things? I could feel my whole body shaking. I should have went for help but they seriously wouldn't do anything to over the top… I hope.

Thump. The light sound was pursued by chilling silence as a tan hand wrapped around the edge of the doorway down the hall. Who's was it and what was that thump about? "Oh Ryou… I can't find Rishid's pulse, maybe he's dead... And you're next…" Oh please, let this be a dream. The loud laughter proved that it wasn't and true hell was going to take place…

(What? It's not called 'Deathshipping' for no reason! Now my dear readers, anyone can leave a review, just please leave me a name. I like seeing that people have names, even if you make it up so please do so. Now, tell me the truth, what did you think?)


	8. What lies in the truth

**How could this have happened? The pale hikari was shivering in the corner of the Ishtars living room. Impending doom literally creeping on him. The face of true evil bore a creeping smirk that exposed his teeth all the more with every step he took towards the frightened chap. Was this truly the end for him? Marik took another step closer…**

Was this how I was to live and end my life? To allow every yami I know to push me around when they feel like it? Peering through spaces between my fingers, I couldn't stop from cringing as he drew ever closer. "Marik, please…" I wasn't sure how those words came out but by the look of anger on his face it was easy enough to tell that was said only dug me a deeper grave.

"Pleading only shows how weak your really are Ryou," Marik spat out. The gap between us was now none existent . A connection was made as something chilly touched and curled under my chin. My head was lifted up slowly but I couldn't bring myself to look at him so I stared at the floor.

I could feel my whole body trembling under his fingers. How could he have spared my life a few days ago only to threaten that he'd take it away? It didn't make any sense but if he was anything like Bakura, then everything had a double meaning to it.

"Look at me!" the spiked haired male hissed. "I like looking into the eyes of my victims as they take their dieing breath." That was a horrible thing to say and do but this could only mean that he has done this other times before. How much more was the real question running through my mind apart from why.

The tone of his cold voice chilled my very heart to its core but I willed myself to turn my gaze up to him. Those piercing crimson stained orbs stared back down as if they belonged to a hungry vulture that was looking over it's prey.

I could have sworn that I saw a tiny glimpse of his eyes softening whilst his thumb stroked the side of my face with its soft touch. What was he waiting for? Perhaps he was thinking about making a grand speech before he would take away all I had left to me.

"Tell me… What is it that you see in me," he demanded. The request was so bizarre, just how was I to answer? Should I answer in truth or tell him what he wanted to hear? What did he mean? "You don't see anything but what everyone else does do you!" For some reason, I was sure that he wasn't using that as a question.

I winced as he jerked my head about in his hand and pulled me up closer to him. His eyes were still cold and very much alive with rage. But… There was something else hidden to it, or at least I thought there was but it seemed to have hardened as he became more angry.

"…I see all the evil that you have stored inside," I finally managed to whisper. "All the hatred and rage that dwells inside of your mind just like everyone else has told me…" I was about to go one but everything went white for a moment. When the cursedly bright light faded away, I had found myself unable to move. "Ma-Marik!"

The tan Egyptian held my throat tight in his one handed grasp with my back to the wall behind my person. "That's all I am and all I have. I should have known better then to have expected that you were any different from the others!" His grip tightened until I gasped before he dared to ease up.

With pleading eye, I mentally begged for him to release me. "You… I didn't.. finish," I murmured. I couldn't fell my legs and it was becoming extremely difficult to decide if I was still on the ground or if he was holding me up in the air.

"Why don't you just call out for your yami to save you.." His words were like breathing in smoke, poisonous and made my eyes water. Bakura could care less what happened to me, I'm sure. He was going to let me die in the Shadow Realm by those evil goblins. "Call out for help Ryou!" I shook my head in silence while hot tears ran down my cheeks. "DO IT!"

I forced myself to peer through the tears still in my brown eyes and looked at the fuzzy figure of Malik's darker self. "Help me… Marik…" I couldn't make out his facial expression. "I need you again… Please, Marik…" I took in rigged breathes as I sobbed. Half unable to breath and what part that I could was quickly taken away by my crying.

It took me a few seconds to realize that my throat had be freed from the icy grasp of the tan yami. "Why would you… Why did you call on my help? I am the one hurting you!" sneered the others deep voice. "I don't understand you." Marik's voice trailed off.

With the sides of my hands, I attempted to rub the wetness gathering in the corner of my eye and to dry the salty water that had already fallen. "I don't believe that you're all evil. I don't even think you are evil really…" No, he was more like a orphan child, the one who was always walked past and watched the other kids be taken away. Alone and had to do everything himself because no one dared to give him a chance.

"You have no idea of what I am. What I fe-" I looked up wondering what he was going to say. The burrs finally gone from my vision. "Just.. Get out of here Ryou." I should have been grateful to get the chance to leave but something was amiss. "What are you staring at? I told you to leave!" The blonde clutched his hands into fists at his sides.

Sadness slowly started to creep into my very being, like small waves washing up against the beach shore. "There's more to you then what you see. Then what anyone has admitted to see…" I stepped closer with an arm stretched out to touch his face but he back away. Was he now afraid of me?

"Everything you've said is some kind of beautiful lie. I don't believe your moronic fairytales or any of those 'treat others how you would want them to treat you' lessons of garbage!" he screamed loudly after he had taken one more step back from my advances. "Just go Ryou, get out of my home and the heck out of my life!"

"Is that how you solve everything?" I had taken enough yelling from him as well as abuse. It felt like my mind was racing, I didn't wish to be thrown out of another home with no place to go. "You push everything away when it becomes a problem or you destroy it. Is that it?" I inquired with a trembling voice.

The golden haired murder trained his eyes onto my framework. "You surrender or run away from your problems, so don't you dare question what I do until you take a good look at yourself." His word was like a fresh slap to the face. It hurt but it also pointed out some truth to the rude gesture. "You shouldn't be here Ryou, you should be back at your apartment with that idiotic twin or yours and you would be if you would have just stood up for yourself by not letting him control you."

I felt like my legs were frozen, the inability to move was edging further on up through my limbs, to my stomach and branched outwards to my arms and head. The truth was handed to me so bluntly that-that it seemed impossible to react to it.

"But it you weren't so pathetic then you would have never came over and things would have been so much easier," Marik hissed, his voice growing louder with every word that escaped his mouth. "I just- I just… GAH!" He snarled like a wounded animal before falling to his knees. His bangle bracelet covered arms crossed his chest with both hands clutching to the opposite upper arm.

What was going on? I could feel fear and panic seeping back into and conquering every other emotion that I held within. The blonde yami's eyes widened while his whole upper half of his body shook.

I didn't know what to do, heck, I had little idea what was going on! First he tried to kill me but stops, then he hurts me, then we argue a little and suddenly he collapsed and is shivering like a puppy out in the rain. He wasn't having a stroke or seizer was he?

"W-what's happening?" the tan other stammered with hardly audible words. His voice was strained like he were in intense pain. "Why can't I-" I cringed down to my very soul as I witnessed the sickening sight of deep red liquid spilling out from the dark spirit's mouth. The vile substance stained and clung to the carpeted floor and splattered in tiny specks over him clothes.

"Oh my god! Marik," I could feel a bitter sorrow forming inside of my heart as he coughed up another mouthful of ruddy blood. "What have I done? Oh shoot, why?" I was rambling on about what I couldn't recall. Each word seemed distant as I crouched down to his side and placed one hand on his back.

Most people would have watery eyes by now from vomiting up their own life essence. The force would make them do so but he held not a single tear but undeniably held an expression of uttermost misery.

"Look at what I found laying on the floor." Thump. Oh please no, if it's who I thought it was then that could only make matters worse. "I thought he was dead but the lucky son of a bitch is still breathing.. Just barely." Turning my head over my shoulder just enough to see, I only confirmed my fear. There on the floor lay the seemingly motionless Rishid and as my eyes traveled on up the pair of legs standing next to him was my yami.

The sound of deep breathing coming from beside of me then grabbed my attention. Marik leaned further down towards the floor to where his face had to be not more then an inch away from the carpet itself. "Bakura… You bastard! What did… you… do to me?" Each couple of words slipped out from between breathes of air.

The tan yami hacked up a crimson tainted wad of spit on the ground. The living was now a literal bloody mess. "The real question should be, what in the seven hells do you think you are trying to pull off with MY hikari!" Since when was he protective over me?

"This is madness! Bakura, if you're causing this then stop it at once!" Marik had been right about my un-aggressive behavior. If I were to do anything right then perhaps it was finally time that I actually stood up for my friends and myself.

"You want me to spare his life? You obviously don't remember him at all dear Ryou." I growled softly under my breath as he spoke. The effect much like a baby kitten trying to be furious to a large wolf. No contest on who was more threatening. "He tried to kill all of your so called 'friends' and besides, you know he's suicidal."

If it were possible, then I could have sworn that he kindled some flicker of anger inside of me. Somehow he knew I had seen Marik about to take his own life the first day we met. I knew then that he had been watching me. All these games he played on me were so annoying!

"So you just play with everyone's lives as if their all pawns in a game for you? If I didn't know better then I could swear that you are the one who put him up to the thought of suicide!" The unnatural silence combined with a ghastly smirk on Bakura's face was more then enough confirmation. "You trollop!"

That smug grin vanished from display as a scowl then took over its place. "Congratulations hikari. You are a clever one but let's see how clever you really are when we place the fate of our guests all into one game… but first, lights out…"

As the last word came out, the room around me was disintegrating into darkness. And my grip on what reality I had crumbled around me. The world was now in darkness as I slipped off into unconsciousness…

(Not really a cliff hanger exactly but it doesn't conclude on what happened either, hm... Anyway, I hope this chapter wasn't to boring for any of you. My first idea was to have Marik freaking out and going all trembling because he overdosed on Malik's medication since he has tried suicide and he tried again to where the pills just kicked in but then I went 'No, that will get me slaughtered by my readers' so thus.. I had Bakura be the one to cause these horrible complications. And what's this? The pale yami has decided to play a game with his hikari to determine the outcome of Marik and Rishid's lives? How thrilling, right? Hopefully I didn't put you to sleep anyway... Ra... Tell me what you think of my newest twist if you wish. Ja.)


	9. The cruelest mind game

**Darkness was the only thing he could see. The poor silver haired hikari was trapped in a shroud of shadows with no sign of company to comfort him. At least that was the case until he took a step backwards and had a nasty fall onto his rump. "What is this, get off of me!" hissed a deep bloodcurdling voice. Maybe Ryou wasn't as alone as he had first thought…**

"I told you to get off!" snarled the same voice from before. The owner's hot breath ran down my neck before he pushed on my upper arm and sent me spilling the rest of the way onto the ground. The pitch black cape of shadows crept away as a soft yellow-green light emanated from the direction I had been forced away from.

The eerie colored light pulsated in a more vibrant hue that let my shadow grow larger as the other darkness became to slip away. Turning around on my knees, the person who had pushed me away, face came into view. "What are you doing here?"

The dark skin toned yami frowned to my question. "I could ask the same of you but I have a good idea of why we are both here," Marik mused out loud. His eyes were darker then normal with just a hint of red blended into the dark orbs.

"It's because of Bakura isn't it?" I whispered solemnly. My head dropped down in mixed feelings of disappointment and sorrow. Why was it that suddenly, I was getting others involved into these punishments that were truly meant for me?

Marik didn't even attempt to deny who's fault it was, the silence between the two of us shown that he too knew this was all my fault… Something soft brushed against my skin but I didn't even bother to try and fight off whatever wished to threaten me.

My vision traveled up to my surprise as my chin was lifted up by what I soon discovered were Marik's fingers. "You stood up for yourself and if we're going to get out of here then you must do it again," his voice was soft and almost sweet sounding for once.

I could have sworn he was going to smile but that must have been some of delusion I was having, for instead of what I was hoping to see, a cold scowl took form as he released me. Perhaps that was asking for to much… He'd never be open to me if he wasn't even open to his own family.

"Well isn't that just delightful. I see that you have sunk so low as to throw yourself to a murder, huh Ryou? Was Malik not enough of a challenge for you?" I cringed at that voice. Bakura, why did he have to be so rude and twist everything in something so-so dirty? "And Marik, don't tell me you are falling for him. I thought you finally accepted the truth that you could never be loved, you're to cold for such a petty thing."

"Stop it Bakura!" How could he say such terrible and unrealistic things? I couldn't understand it. What did I ever see in him? Looking up to my darker self I then recalled of all the horrendous things he had told me that he had went through when I his past life. Everyone he cared for had died then when he was just a toddler.

Low chuckling filled the void all three of us were standing in. The only people visible were still just Marik and myself. Where Bakura was, I could tell since it now seemed as if his voice was coming from all around us as he cackled to himself.

"You should have taken my advice the first time I had given it to you Marik but you hesitated. I thought you were stronger then that but you chickened out until you finally worked up the nerve for it only to be stopped by a hikari. So much for the mighty Marik Ishtar!" The thief sneered into the darkness around us.

His words were as chilling as steel but held the quality of seriousness only he could possess on such a grave topic. I turned my gaze away from the echoing words that drifted in the darkness towards the tan other. His face appeared to be expressionless, as if he were contemplating all of this in deep thought.

This was going to far, he was trying to mess with Marik's mind and if he succeeded then there would be no end to the possibilities of what the blonde might possibly do. "Face it Marik, no one wants you. Heck, even the people you live with want you out so they can finally be rid of you!" sneered the hidden male.

"Bakura, you promised me a game! I see no cards of Monster World board before us!" I cried out after ripping my gaze away from the silent Egyptian. "Are you afraid you'll lose?" I worked up into a pitiful growl. I merely wanted to take his attention off of Marik.

There was a brief and unnerving silence which only was to be broken by a soft whistling wind. The warm breeze still made the hair on my arms and back of my neck stand on end from the sense of fear it drove into my whole body.

"You want a game?" My head inclined to the question placed before me. Even if I couldn't see him, I knew that didn't stop Kura from seeing every action I made. "Then I have a game, I call it Truth and Dare," the thief murmured before a dim light caught my attention from over to my right, just a little from behind the silent other.

Truth and Dare? Didn't he mean Truth or Dare? The whole outline of the millennium ring started to glow with a yellow-green light that flickered like a burning candle. All of the surrounding area melted into a deep indigo hue with of curious spotlight that was aimed directly onto the quiet tan yami.

A tiny thin line of a smirk took form on my other half's face. "In this game, Marik is the star and he will be experiencing some awful truths but you will be able to see them as well. In fact, we are currently inside of his mind, his darkest thoughts are going to be aroused and all you can do is watch. Heh heh…" Bakura chuckled before taking place a little to my side.

Opening my mouth to ask him just what he had meant, I paused as another figure approached in the distance. I recognized who the guy was, it was Malik. His arms were folded across his chest while he stood with his nearly perfect posture before his duplicate that remained sitting on the floor.

"Why are you still here?" he barked simply. "I told you to leave me alone, you killed my father and for that I will never forgive you!" The lighter half then uncrossed his arms and pointed directly to his yami. "You never do anything right and you tried to kill not only me but my sister and Odion! I wish you'd just disappear and never return!"

What on Earth had gotten into Malik? I never had seen him so angry like this before. Yes he could be annoyed pretty easy but here he was blaming Marik over wild impossibilities. "That's enough Malik!" The limp blonde haired male went on accusing the other of horrible crimes. "Didn't you hear me? I said that's enough!" My arm was snatched as I had went to go over to the two.

Glaring over to my darker self, he only grinned at me while keeping a strong hold of my arm. "It's no good Ryou, these are old memories that he has went through already." As if he were answering my unspoken question he went on. "I thought it might be best for you to see the truth by making him relive it."

I bit my lower lip to keep from trying to tell Malik to stop it when he vanished from sight and in his place stood the female Ishtar and her step brother. Rishid stood a little behind the woman and had a frown of distaste written on his features.

The raven haired lass ran a single hand through her hair then let it drop back to her side. "You lead my brother into insanity and nearly killed him just like you had with so many others," she stated in her 'as a matter of fact' voice that it sent chilled running down my back. "If only my father had listened to Malik's pleas then all of this could have been avoided and you wouldn't exist." she added.

The pony-tailed haired male remained silent with eyes that told all of what he wanted to say and his hatred towards the golden haired caped man. The two of them also fleeted from sight and were replaced by Yami who gave his cold hearted statement. Then he too left and was replaced, one by one with all of my friends and then of people I had never seen before.

All these people had to say were negative and not a single decent word left their lips as they told Marik how much they all loathed him and wished him ill and more. My eyes swelled with sadness from all of this as I watched Marik take ever piece of slander they each dealt him.

"There are so many more people who haven't gotten to put their two cents in for today but I'm afraid it's time for the dare part." Through a watery eyes, I watched Bakura's blurry figure move from my side and wave his hand in front of himself to dispel any more people from his path so he could talk to the caramel colored Egyptian himself.

Whipping my eyes free of the salty tears with the back of my hands, I squinted my eyes to try and figure out what he was up to. "I know that already," sneered a different voice. It took me a moment to realize that it was Marik who was speaking since everyone's else's voice still was numbing my own mind.

"Then what's the point of proving them right?" inquired the white haired fuzz ball. I kept rubbing my eyes until everything finally started to become clear once again. "You know this world isn't for you and once it's over you'll be free from all of them," the thief reasoned.

A sense of dread coursed though my whole body as I witness my yami kneel down to Marik's level and lift up his chin with one hand as the other pale hand picked up the golden double-bladed ax at his side. The violet eyed teen sighed and gave a stiff nod.

Bakura chuckled as he moved back some when the item had been passed from his grasp and placed into the blonde's hands. My heart skipped a beat before going into overdrive as the handle to the ancient artifact slid free, the point glistened in the bright light as it rose up and stopped just in front of the Egyptian's eyes.

"N-no…" I murmured softly, my hands were now covering my own heart as if he were to impale it instead of his own. "Marik, you can't!" The words rushed out in a shrill scream. The next thing anyone knew, I was pushed up against the tan spirit with both arms wrapped around his waist. "You can't Marik, I don't care what others have told you, you're perfect as you are.." My voice trailed off as I rubbed my face into his chest.

The clanking of metal reached my ears as I willed myself to look up to find that he was now staring down at me in disbelief. "You can't possibly-" I stopped him by wrenching his shirt in my hands and pulling myself up close enough to push my lips up against his.

A deep growl come from the only other person present. "I see how things are then, game over!" he snapped. A blinding light lashed and burned everything else from view and even removed any sensation of touch I had.

When my eyes had been closed, to be honest, I didn't know but when they opened... We were in the living room yet again. The problem was, Bakura was nowhere in sight but I did have a pretty good close up on the spiked haired male's face.

A low cough filled the awkward silence as from the corner of my eyes, stepped into view was Malik and his sister. "Perhaps we should just pretend none of this ever happened and just leave them alone?" Suggested the blonde hikari with a nervous chuckle.

My face flushed bright red as I felt one of Marik's hands slide down my back and noticed that I was sitting in his lap still lip locked. Pulling away I attempted to hide my face with my bangs before moving off his lap. Rishid's form laid propped up against the sofa in his still unconscious state.

"Excuse me," Marik muttered before pushing himself up and leaving the room, thus leaving all others present to stare at me for answers. "Heh.. Um… I-I got to go pee," I replied before taking my own leave towards the restroom. Why did I do that, better yet, why did Bakura do this then vanish like he was never here…

(Ha ha! Much better then the original one I was going to add. The original was a game of Monster World with four pawns shaped like Marik, Ryou, Bakura and Rishid but in that Ryou forefited before the game even started and it all fell to pieces in my mind so I forced myself to try something better and came up with this. Hopefully it kind of shows how Bakura is trying to trick Marik into eliminating himself but I had a certain someone save him. Anyway... Tell me what you think if you will, good or bad and give me any sugestions for next time if you please. Ja.)


	10. Peace is not always peaceful

**The alley was deadly silent; everything seemed normal, but that was the problem. The hustle and bustle of traffic filled the air along with the cheery chime of bicycle bells whilst the sun slowly went on it's daily ritual, downwards towards the horizon; casting a beautiful cascade of many colors into the upcoming night. But again, something was wrong with this beautiful scene. Everything was to peaceful and perfect to the ignorant people of Japan or more importantly; to Ryou and his potential love…**

"I hate this game." Chuckling, I couldn't help but shake my head at the lad who had spoken. "You can't just buy properties like that and plop hotels on it from nowhere," he went on complaining. "And who on earth decided to make this currency, it doesn't even look real! Besides, isn't it illegal?" The blonde held up a fistful of the fake tender.

Amazingly, it wasn't Marik who was complaining about the Monopoly game that Yugi's grandfather had let us barrow from his game shop. Well, granted that the shop was only downstairs since we were all up in Yugi's room. "You're just sore because you are in debt to Yami," the multi-colored haired hikari replied with a grin. It was only to obvious that he was correct.

The offended Ishtar wrinkled his nose with disgust from the comment. "I quit! This game is just to unrealistic." With bitterness the Egyptian folded his arms and look away. Never would I be able to say it out loud but Malik way always a drama queen and this was only proving how much of one he truly was.

"To be honest, I think it's safe to say that you win Yami. After all, you have the most properties and money," I decided to point out in hopes that it might end this game that took a mere FOUR HOURS to play! "Perhaps we might be able to do something else?" A weak attempt but perhaps it might work and keep Malik from getting any more irritated.

Yami kept his eyes closed only to reveal his royal purple orbs after he had sat down his large amount of play money onto the board. "It was a good game while it lasted," he murmured. Of course it was a good game for him, he was the king of games and losing seemed near impossible for the ancient king. "Perhaps we can watch a documentary about Egypt instead?"

The groans all around me confirmed that no one but the past pharaoh was interested in a documentary. We were at a sleepover and they wanted something other then an old voice droning on about the nameless king who we all finally knew was Yami.

"How 'bout we watch The Mummy?" suggested a Jersey accented voice. "I mean it's gotta Egyptian theme and curses so then Yami here won't be to uninterested." The lost look on Yugi's counterpart showed his confusion for this idea yet his curiousness about it as well.

"Actually, I think that's a great idea Joey. Come on, you'll enjoy it other Yugi," the female brunette, Anzu, encouraged. With a small discussion amongst the others present, I decided to let them figure things out whilst my attention slipped off into space.

To be more specific, I was thinking about that kiss I had shared with the only polar opposite of myself that I could think of; Marik. It had been short lived but the thought of it was enough to steal my breath with every passing second that it replayed in my mind. Why had I done it? Surely there was a different way to show that I cared for him then the one I displayed…

I didn't even realize that I was staring directly at the very one I was thinking about until a faint frown etched itself onto his nearly emotionless face. He didn't want to be here but had came when I pleaded for him to. All of his family was missing from the room when that took place naturally or I would have quite possibly have given up. Even then it was a difficult task to pull.

"Fine, I'll go but I refuse to be a part of anything that freak pharaoh participates in," the darker side of Malik had said to consent to my pleads. Malik of course wasn't pleased but the other two Ishtar's hadn't said a single word but I figured they might be glad to get the two out of the house for a bit so they could get some real work done. Such as cleaning up the mess the twin Ishtars had made the night before…

A shiver ran through my whole body from the flashes of memory that scurried across my mind. The relics that the tan men had thrown at one another in their heated argument. Of what they were fighting over, I knew little about and no one was willing to explain it to me.

Before long, everyone was looking in my direction and I had just now noticed it. "Ryou, did you hear us?" Tristan questioned as Joey waved his hand around in the 'come back to earth' motion. "We're going down stairs to fix up some grub before we pop in the movie. Want to join?"

Everyone was on their feet but myself and Marik who was stretched out on the floor, his back against the far wall with one leg bent up. A typical 'bad boy' look from all those fight movies and such that Joey and Tristan enjoyed, at least that's what it reminded me of.

"I think I'll stay up here and set things up for the movie. If you don't mind however, I wouldn't mind a sandwich," I couldn't resist bringing up the suggestion. A devious smile crept onto the Wheeler's face before he gave me the thumbs up.

"No prob' Ryou. I'll make ya the best dang sandwich you ever tasted!" Like a flash of lightening, the bleach blonde bolted for the door to be consumed by the darkness that lead downstairs. The others all laughed and joked at the oaf's expense but all for good fun. "I swear he has two stomachs and one of them has replaced his mind." Well, everyone but Marik…

It wasn't long before everyone else took pursuit after the human garbage disposal with the exception of myself and the darker of the two male Ishtars. "Ryou… I have a question for you," the tan chap spat as if he had been insulted and wished or defend himself when he knew the others were gone.

Funny, I was thinking about asking him a question as well since I was sure he wasn't going anywhere after Yami. "Alright, ask away." Perhaps I could multitask. Walking over to a small shelf of tapes, I shuffled through in search of the movie the others had decided upon.

There it was; plucking the tape out from the surrounding other, I turned it on it's side of look at the cover. A face make of sand with a gaping mouth peered back up at me. Well, it was safe to say that it must have been a curse one of the fools set off in the movie.

"Why did you kiss me?" The proposed question startled me for a moment; the tape slipped down my hand but mercifully was caught at the last second. "Well, are you to answer me or not?" Wonderful, out of all the questions he could have asked.. "I want an answer."

With a small bout of nervousness, I chuckled as went over to the VCR and slipped the black object into the electronic device's mouth. "To be perfectly honest with you Marik… I-I am not fully sure myself," I couldn't lie to him and it was the plan and simple truth.

He growled before deciding to break the silence. "So it was an accident then?" In some ways it might have been able to be called that, yes, but part of me was beginning to think there was a hair more to it then that. "As in, you really don't.. Think differently of me compared to everyone else… Correct?" The dark spirit's question sounded like it carried a sorrowful tune to it with a splash of dismal hope that was trying to hide. The two opposing emotions, quite possibly fighting with each other for control.

"Marik, there is no denying that you are far different from anyone I ever met." His expression, when I turned my head to look at him, held a excessive amount of self-loathing hatred and sorrow. "But it's that quality that makes you unique to me and possibly makes you better then anyone else I will ever encounter," I whispered with a faint smile in his general direction.

The handsome male opened his eyes a little more as he lifted his gaze back up to lock eyes with my own. Since when did I start finding him attractive let alone start thinking of him as handsome? Not that it mattered for he was indeed both of those things. All the same it only occurred to me just then…

Our little moment of perfect silence and possible contentment was ruined as the commotion happening just outside of the door. "Damn it Malik, what da hell are you standing there in the fucking doorway for? Aww, ya made me drop Ryou's sandwich!" That was undeniably Joey. And but the sound of thing, he just collided into Malik.

Wait, he dropped my sandwich? My poor stomach growled lightly at the thought of food and the lack there of it since apparently it was laying on the steps. The two blondes walked in, Joey just barely making the last step as he stumbled in from bending over to retrieve the fallen good.

"Uh, it's still good Ryou, just dust it off a bit and it'll be good as new," the Wheeler insisted. With a sad shake of my head, I rejected his offer. Oh well… "Alright then, more for me!" He declared happily before munching down on the defenseless sandwich. At least someone was enjoying it…

Marik wrinkled his nose as he witnessed my pale friend hungrily devour his food. "Malik, your sister is calling and wants you to come home. She says it is important." The tan hikari looked over to me questionably before looking back towards the door.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Mutou. What about my yami?" Concern suddenly coursed through my body, was something wrong and that was why Malik's sister had called? The two twin-like males then locked eyes and waited in silence for the response.

"No, she apparently says that she only needs you. Also, if you want, she says that you can come back for the night. I hope it's nothing to serious…" the old man called up.

Those of us present now all stared at the young teen only to see him finally nod before making his way to the door. "Marik, don't you dare do anything while I'm gone, got it?" He sneered. "Otherwise, you and Rishid are going to have a nice talk again," the limp haired blonde added before leaving back into the darkened doorway from which he had came.

Time passed on slowly before the rest of the gang had finally made it back with their cargo of food and beverages. The seating arrangements were in no particular order since everyone was smashed together on the floor with the exception of, yes, Marik. The remaining Ishtar had moved further back into the far corner with his head back, staring to the ceiling.

I almost wished that I hadn't have invited him if I knew he was going to be this bored. The others weren't to thrilled when they had found out that he was coming either but at least most of them kept quiet about it. With some luck, maybe they could keep this up and… Maybe.. Get along for the rest of the night? Yeah, maybe…

"Ah, I see you finally decided to show up." A dark figure stepped out into the streetlight that had just kicked up once the sun had ended it's cycle for the moon to take it's place.

The tan light took a step backwards in surprise. "What do you mean?" He hadn't planned on running into anyone on the way home to see what his sister had wanted but apparently, Bakura did. "Out of my way!" he snapped to the spirit of the sennen ring.

With one hand raised, the former thief king wagged his index finger from side to side in a 'tisk tisk' manner. "You sister isn't the one who called, I did. I merely lead that wretched old fool into thinking that I was calling on behalf of your sister."

Disbelief flashed over the Egyptian's features before anger took over the other fleeting emotions place. "You must have a good reason for deceiving me then. Otherwise, I'm leaving now," Malik insisted with a frown on his lovely face.

"I sense that what I have to say might be of great interest to you," The white haired menace replied with an ever growing smirk of a monster. "You hate Marik being around your precious friend, Ryou, just as much as I do."

Violet eyes looked down to the left at the sewer drain before daring to go back to the crimson stained eyes of the tainted spirit. "Get to the point…" Malik murmured under his breath. He liked the fact that Bakura didn't approve of this possible relationship between both of their other personalities but dreaded the other fact, that Bakura himself was not to be fully trusted.

Ryou's more devious self chuckled lowly even though a scowl now resided on his pale mug. "If you truly wish for them to be separate from now on, then I suggest that you and I work together to break them apart," Kura insisted.

"What makes you so sure that I can trust you after the last partnership we had? You let me down Bakura!" That indeed was a great and unfortunate loss. Battle City held some terrible memories for the poor tomb keeper.

Those cola brown eyes that have witnessed the destruction of many lives peered down, deep into the other set of eyes. The cold emptiness that Malik saw inside of Bakura made him shutter. "If you truly want them apart then you will help me. In doing so, I can guarantee the safety of your true family and perhaps even rid you of your greatest foe. The other you…" Now this held a chilling but wonderful promise to it.

With great thought, the slender male held his elbow with one hand while stroking his chin with the other. "… Tell me more…" he finally murmured. With the other's interest now in the palm of his hand, Bakura went on to discuss his proposal to attempt to end both of their problems. Permanently…

(Heh, are you enjoying my ever growing insanity? If so, then please leave a review! If not, then complain about it in a review! Okay, I admit it, I enjoy getting reviews so if you don't mind, send me one no matter how short or incredibly long it might me! Oh, and questions are perfectly fine. I always answer them to the best of my abilities! Thank you for taking the time to read this. Ja.)


	11. Kicked out of a sleepover

**Who knew that such a broad subject such as revenge could take well over half the night to discuss? The deadly duo had finished their little chat with an false discussion of what 'really' had happened between Malik and Ishizu to make up for the time that had passed. By the time he had returned to the game shop, he had found half of the crew sleeping…**

"Hey Malik, what took ya so long?" Joey questioned as the other blonde passed him by. The Jersey accented male closed the refrigerator door to give the other a bit more of his attention. However, the jar of pickles in his hands demanded the majority of his small attention span.

With a devious grin, the Egyptian lad then inclined his head. "Family business," he muttered softly. The blank expression upon the Wheeler boy's face showed that he needed a clearer explanation. "It's an ancient ritual that we have to perform the day before the full moon. You see, a bit of blood is involved," he went on and started to slip of his bangle bracelets to his left arm.

"Whoa pal, I'm trying to eat here. Don't make me lose my appetite!" Joey replied while turning his head to the side to keep from looking at the wounded arm. Malik closed his eyes while placing the gold bangles back into their proper places.

At least I slipped past this fool but then again, Joey has always been weak minded. Light lilac orbs shifted in their sockets as their master thought to himself before daring to trust his mouth with words. "Are the others upstairs?"

The brown eyed male nodded happily as the lid to the pickle jar popped open. "Yeah, and most of them are asleep too. Well, except for Yugi and Ryou I think," his accept slurred a few of his words but for the majority, Malik understood what he had said.

"Thank you, I think I'll go up to keep them some company." The young Ishtar flashed a cheery smile to his naive friend before turning towards the hall that lead to the stairs. His fake grin had now turned into a frown as he attempted to figure out who all he thought would be awaiting for him.

The sound of crushing pickles faded as the tomb keeper climbed up the stairs quietly, so far no one knew he had returned but Yugi's grandfather who had let him in and Joey. Maybe he could eavesdrop a little before slipping into the room…

(I've decided to warn you of the point of view change. Even though you really should be able to tell without my warning.)

A soft and mumbled moan made my lips tingle as I agreed to Yugi's proposed question. "Yes… It's been a swell night here. Perhaps we should do it again some time in the future," I whispered, half asleep. I rolled over to get a little more room before trying to sit up to get a better view of the chap I was talking to.

"Funny how everyone fell asleep so quickly," the tri-colored haired male whispered. His voice caused the darker side of himself to stir before settling back down on his hikari's lap. "And nothing got broken," he finished. His royal purple eyes widened after he realized my disappointment to his statement. "I-I didn't mean for it to come out like that Ryou, it's just that… Well, actually I did mean it… You have to realize that Marik just isn't… He isn't as nice as he is acting."

With disbelief, I looked at my vertically challenged friend through hurt filled eyed. "Out of all the people I know, I thought that you'd be the one willing to look past others past mistakes, Yugi," I muttered lowly. I could feel my voice waver with the sudden sorrow that had squeezed itself into a once beautiful night. "But you're no different then my yami!" I hissed a little louder.

The little pale lad sighed as he ran one hand through his darker self's hair. Out of all the people that I have seen in Marik's mind who disowned him or tormented his waking thoughts, I did not recall seeing my dear pal Yugi amongst the mix…

"Hey everyone, I'm back." chimed in an cheery tune. The upbeat voice coming from the doorway was to be replaced with the figure it belonged to. "Sorry I was gone so long. Did I miss anything?" The lighter half of my dear Marik asked sweetly.

The red-violet haired boy with blonde bangs glanced at me momentarily before smiling over to Malik. "You didn't miss much of anything. In fact, everyone here fell asleep during the movie." Our dark spiked haired friend motioned to the slumbering bodies that lay about everywhere.

Both set of purple eyes gleamed in the soft fluorescent light that was emanating from the side walls. Our brunette haired lass was the only one to actually head home for she didn't wish to be stuck in a room full to the brim with males.

"Hey, is that… My yami?" our tan Egyptian friend questioned. All three of us turned to the far corner of the room where the mentioned dark spirit lay. His body was tucked into fetal position but somehow had managed to remind me of a young kitten. "Aww, it's almost a shame that I have to wake him."

Wake him? But he was sleeping quiet peacefully… What was so important that Malik needed to disturb my dark spirit. What was this, since when was Malik's 'evil' side MY dark spirit? I shook my head to remove the idea but it still clung to my soul. Perhaps-Perhaps he was starting to grow on me more then I ever expected.

In a catlike strut, Malik made way to his peaceful looking yami; stepping over Tristan with such ease and pose as if it were an elaborate dance. The last step safely planted by Mariku's side after surpassing over the unconscious pharaoh's legs that were just long enough to be in his path. "Wake up sleepy head."

"Malik, is something wrong?" the words just kind of forced themselves out. I didn't wish to be rude but there wasn't a snowflakes chance in heck that he was possibly being nice to Marik. The two were always at the other's throat, kind was always missing so… What was he up to?

Turning his head to face me, the 'innocent' counterpart of the two Egyptian tomb keepers wore a confused expression upon his caramel colored face. "What do you mean? I just figured that it was late and my idiot here might have overstayed his welcome," he suggested while brushing a few stray bangs from the other's face.

I watched the simple movement with a trace amount of suspicion. My little tan skinned hikari twitched under his other personalities fingertips. His whole face contorted with pain only to settle down after the other had moved his hand away.

"Well, I thought things were going rather well," till the Yugi had just shown me his true colors anyway… "Besides, he's rather cute when he's sleeping." Several sets of eyes bore their gaze into my framework causing my cheeks to burn with embarrassment. Had-had I announced that out loud?

Slurp. Thump. "Did you just… Did you just call Marik 'cute'?" I looked over to find that Serenity's brother had decided to rejoin us. "Cause he ain't no cutie. In fact, doesn't he like killing things that are cute?" Bending over, the blonde reached for the two pickles that had fallen out of his sandwich. The two slippery goods were wiped off before being resituated upon the sandwich.

A fuse of anger had been ignited in me but was disrupted before I could even get a word out. The other two were now talking but about what, I could care less at the moment. Something didn't feel right. Nothing in fact felt right…

"Get away from me…" The room was by now, deathly silent except for one of the occupants who now had everyone attention. The spiked haired blonde now growled while he curled tighter up into a ball. "He's mine now, you can't-" the tainted soul's voice drifted off into contorted mumblings.

I turned now to face the other Ishtar. Something was wrong, did he perhaps know what it was? "Oh my, I was afraid this would happen," he whispered to himself just loud enough for the rest of us to hear. The tomb keeper leaned in closer to his other self and shook his shoulder gently. "Wake up Marik."

Nothing much happened. If anything did, it made things worse. "You lost it fair and square, so don't feed me your lies!" Was the poor chap having a nightmare? In an ever growing sense of dread, the three of us watched as Malik struggled to awaken his split personality.

"I'll go get grandpa!" Yugi shouted after moving his yami over to the side , he then jumped up and ran out of the door. "GRANDPA!" the multicolored haired hikari shouted before thundering down the stairs.

With a thrust forwards, the tan caped murder coughed before going into a deep throated snarl. "Never," he managed to work up before rolling over, his hands clutching his side.

"I-I can't wake him up," Malik muttered as he turned to look at me then back to his forced partner. His sun kissed hands still shook the other in vain. "Wake up Mariku!" The feeling of misplacement was creeping back into my thoughts. The situation was terrible but, there was, I don't know… "Yami!" Malik hissed before pushing harder against Marik. "Get up!"

That was it! Malik's voice; it-it had no real quality to it. It's tone held some anger into it but… It also sounded like it was amused by the outbreak of the slumbering other. Wait a second, Marik had been sleeping soundly until his hikari had returned…

The whole scene of Malik coming into the room flashed into my thoughts. From when the young, limp haired male enter the room to him walking over everyone as if he were a superior dancer. Then that into him caressing his twin's face… I blinked away these images in realization that something had indeed been off from the start. What had Malik done?

"Will ya wake up ya pile of snot?" I turned to see that Wheeler was now holding Marik by the front of his shirt. The tan male was partly on his knees with his head lulling about freely while he continued talking to himself.

"Joey, please!" I begged before running over to him and collapsing at his feet. "Owe…" That hurt, I murmured softly before realizing that I had tripped over Tristan. "Put him down, don't hurt him!" I sniveled while grabbing at the lad's legs.

Peering up through watery eyes, I attempted to will the bleach blonde away with little avail. I closed my eyes then to think of what all had happened and what was yet to be. "Get off of me Joey," sneered a deep voice.

What? Willing myself to look up, a grim smile crossed my face when I saw those deep lilac orbs glaring daggers at my foolish friend. In a swift motion, Marik turned the tables upon Joey; the pale lad's arm was twisted now behind himself, bringing him down to one knee.

"What's going on here?" huffed an old voice. Apparently, Yugi and his grandfather had finally joined us. The scene was growing even more chaotic. "Malik, let him go! I'm afraid that if you insist on behaving this way that you must leave!"

"I'm Malik!" hissed the original of the two. "That's Marik!" He motioned to the one holding Wheeler down by one arm. Wild eyes flickered from everyone to everything in the mist of the confusion. "Here, I told you this was a bad idea…" the light haired blonde whispered.

"Can ya get this freak off a me?" Joey cried out before letting out a scream. The sound of a low pop followed before he was pushed down by his captor. "Damn you ya freak!" he hissed as tears swelled in his eyes from the physical pain that had to be in his shoulder due to the fact, it sounded like it had dislocated.

Everything was now happening so fast but the two Ishtars had been assured out of the room as I followed behind the gang. Yugi had been elected to stay behind to fill the others in should they wake up while Grandpa helped Joey into his car to take to the hospital. The car squealed off leaving the scent of burning rubber in the air.

Why did everything always go wrong at the last second? "I believe we have been told to return home…" Malik murmured under his breath before turning about into the direction of his abode. Judging by what all had happened… There really wasn't much else any of us could do…

I then glanced up at my newest friend who had caught my stare. The spiked haired chap then looked away sadly which only filled my heart with sorrow. "Marik…" I awaited for him to answer but received none. "You.. I mean, would you like to… to tell me what's wrong… later perhaps?"

He didn't respond as he looked straight ahead before dropping his gaze once more. The three of us were now walking back to the Ishtar house hold for the night. Malik had been leading the way as Marik stopped in his tracks suddenly with his arm held out in front of me.

What was going on? "Remind me to ask you something… When we get home," he whispered. His arm dropped down as his lighter side called back to us to 'hurry up'. With a faint nod, I agreed and we rejoined the other on the journey home, in the darkness…

(Hey, I've decided to torture you with a little clue here as to what happened. So let us travel to Bakura's apartment for a small minute...)

Pale eyelids drew back as a satisfied smirk inched across the thief's face. "So he thinks my hikari is his now? Well then, we'll see about that…" the snow haired male chuckled before rising up from the sofa. He had had a hectic night trying to persuade Malik into things then entering that baka, Marik's thoughts.

Bakura chuckled as he enter the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door to pull out a cola. "My hikari however is getting attached to that bastard… But with Malik working on my behalf, things should be a little easier…"

The snap of the soda can opening briefly sliced through the air. Bakura had taken Malik's arm and cut open his wrist as their bonded agreement; like a reversal deal of when he had pledged to help Malik in Battle City and had stabbed himself in his arm.

"The next phase begins soon enough…" he muttered to himself before taking a sip of the soda. He much rather have had a beer but he needed to be sober to think things through, that is if his plan was to work. "I'm going to tare you apart Marik until you beg for mercy…" The dark spirit cackled after he has sat his can down onto the counter.

Yes, all was going to plan. He invaded Marik's dreams and penetrated his thoughts. It would only be a matter of time until he would show Ryou the horrible monster that Marik really was…

(Ugh, that was really stupid for a chapter I admit... But... If you shall allow me to make up for it... I believe I can do better in the next one and make it less confusing. Also, I'll be in a more 'sane' state of mind since my 'Aunt' is in town, if you catch my drift... Anyway, that's already to much information for you all. So, tell me how bad this chapter was and what you really wish to see happen next so I can make something BETTER! Alright? Ja for now.)


	12. Ryou's confession

**Time has pasted yet again in it's never ending cycle of turning night to day. Malik had decided to head off for bed, leaving Ryou and his darker spirit in the living room till they desired to go to their rooms for sleep. But there was something Marik had wanted to say and it was this very question that cast fear into little Ryou's heart. What did Marik want to tell him? Perhaps it was good news or maybe it was something that the little lad wouldn't want to hear…**

Sitting upon the arm of the sofa perched the blonde yami who had told me to remain quite until he given word that I could speak once more. It had been almost half an hour since we had gotten back to the Ishtar residence and yet we still remained in silence. What could he wish to tell me?

My mind rattled about with riddles of what Marik could possibly want to say but most of the things that came to mind were all negative. Sadly, with the luck I had been experiencing ever since I joined the Egyptian family, it would be of terrible and grave news. What if he wanted to have me leave or something of that nature?

Looking up from my seat in the chair across from my silent friend, I brushed back a few stands of pale silver hair behind one ear as somewhere in the distance, a clock tolled. The noise it produced was the only thing to break the long lived silence…

Dong… Dong… The blonde lifted his head as the final ring faded off into the night. It was near the only motion I had seen him do since he had told me to be silent. Had he not moved, I would have sworn he had fallen asleep during the taboo of talking we had made.

"You can talk now but before you do, I would like you to answer a question for me," he murmured. His dark eyes gleamed in the soft moonlight that spilled out through the open blinds. My stomach tightened with every word to pass his lips, my throat seemed to be doing the same so I nodded to show I was listening. "Ryou, I need to know. What is love?"

My lips parted as the question was now out in the open. He didn't know what love was? If that was the case, then-then there was no way… "Love is a feeling," oh good god; how was I even talking when my heart raced as if I just completed a five mile run with no rest. "That one has for someone or something…"

His shimmering violet eyes narrowed, making the ridge of his nose wrinkle like a kitten who had something on it's face. "What kind of feeling?" he grunted lowly. The Egyptian allowed himself to rest his chin on a set of curled fingers while his legs folded up on the arm rest beneath him.

Why was this suddenly becoming so much more difficult? "It's a… good feeling." Was that all I could truly come up with? Oh how I wish I could have said more but words seemed to fail me and run off like a game of tag. Seems the only ones I could catch were 'It's a good feeling' and even at that I was struggling to find that to say.

"Alright then. Do you love me?" My eyes widened from shock that I actually saw white for half a second. Had he-Had he truly asked me that? "No? I didn't think so. It's not possible for anyone to," he sighed out while uncrossing his legs and then arose out of his seat.

"Wait, you didn't let me answer!" The hammering in my chest was growing harder to where I could feel myself growing faint as I drew another breath. The dark spirit froze in place, craning his head over one shoulder to look in my direction. "I-I… I uh…" This wasn't working! Where did my voice run off to?

I watched as he closed his eyes and started to walk away once more without saying another word. 'You surrender or run away from your problems' the phrase that the fleeting Ishtar before me echoed in the end of my thoughts…

'Tell me… What is it that you see in me? You don't see anything but what everyone else does do you?' The figure before my person was vanishing off into the darkness in a slow pace. Had he just said that right now? No, they were all words he had said in the past. 'What is love?' His voice danced about in my mind like leaves scattered in a windstorm. 'Do you love me?'

Yes, Yes I love you Marik! The beating organ within my chest was going off the walls with it's pounding. My nervousness seemed to send my thoughts into a downward spiral as his last words repeated faintly in the background noise; Do you love me? Such a simple and innocent question…

"Marik, I'm sorry…" Each word quivered under my breath once I had came to the realization that he was no longer there. It seemed that he had been through on waiting for me to gather up the courage to even utter out a simple yes or no. Bugger! Why couldn't I have just said yes? WHY!

"This isn't fair!" Sneered the Egyptian. A heavy thud came from down the hall with a splintering crack that soon crept out from the darkness. "I thought that he was- RA!" The deep snarl he produced was unnatural by the standers of a common frustrated person.

With caution, I made way down the shadow filled corridor, the light was just enough to identify the outline of every object in the varieties of deep navy blue. "Marik, what's wrong?" Asking if he was alright would have been a foolish question for it was clear that he wasn't so. "You can tell me anything," I assured in a tiny voice. If he heard me or not, I wasn't sure…

Silence then took over the facilities until the ghastly sound of wood scraping against wood reverberated down the hall getting ever closer. Along with the sound drew an increasing large object aimed square at me. What was that thing? Bounding off to the right, I had just managed to avoid the item that the other had kicked across the wooden hallway floor and crashed into something further behind me. My body however ran directly up against the hard drywall.

The side of my head throbbed while I leaned up against the wall for support. What did I do? "Marik, what-what's wrong with you?" The lad took a step back as I stumbled forwards, tripping upon my own foot yet somehow managed to keep up against the wall. "Did I do something to offend you?"

Every step I took towards the other, he merely took another back until he finally stood in place with both hands curled up into fists at his sides. The dark spirit wouldn't even look at me. What on earth did I do to make him so ticked with me?

It took a bit of effort but once I was sure that my foothold would allow me to stand, I pushed myself away from the wall in an attempt to reach out for him. "Ryou, leave me alone." His tone was deep with fiery rage that was begging to be released. The faintest hint of sadness was hardly even recognizable…

Though I truly wished to stay and comfort him, the tan fists that shook at his sides from the pent up rage he concealed with great effort was more then enough to tell me that one more step closer could be my death. Backing out the way the flying object went, I was about to turn around and leave but delicate whispers swirled in the night air only to take refuge in my ear.

"If love is a good feeling then… What is this? Why do I hate myself even more? Nah!" A harsh thud rang throughout the house that was then followed by with deadly silence. How long I stood frozen in place didn't matter since all of time seemed to have stopped before two more deep thuds finally filled the air with an inhuman growl.

Hatred dripped and seeped in through every fiber of the atmosphere. Its source was hidden deep in the rich blue shadows of the corridor before me. The negative aura was so thick with hate, anger and burning regret along with each and every revolting feeling anyone could think of; from jealousy to down right envy and lust.

The sensation was to much and yet I couldn't move. "Oh Ryou, are you still there?" Drawing one hand up over my heart in silence. "I bet you still are… Poor Ryou. You should have left when I told you to." How could one's voice drip with blood boiling venom and at the same time sound so-so sincere?

"Ma-Mar-Marik?" I stuttered at a loss of words. Quite frankly, it was a miracle that I even gotten his name correct on my third attempt. My friend and crush started to chuckle like he was having fun, playing a game he knew all to well and was about to win.

"I don't know what love is and I doubt I ever will," he mused. His voice carried down the halls but it appeared to be getting louder like he was coming closer. "Someone as kind as you could never fall for a wretch such as myself anyway, no matter how hard I've prayed."

I shook my head solemnly. "That's not true. In fact, I do love you." there, it was out at long last. My voice had trembled a bit but it was out all the same.

"You act as if you're lying. Now, now little one, you'd know better then to lie to me," the yami hissed out coldly yet a bit amused by the way his words rose up higher like he was about to laugh. Demonic snickering came ever nearer as at last a shadowed figure stood out in the open with a shadow that covered the majority of the Egyptian's face like a sinful colored veil.

Perhaps it was a good time to pull out and hall tail out to the room I was staying in lately… The lad took another step closer, the silver moonlight that poured in softly through the blinds revealed the lower half of the other's face. "I'm not lying. I never would lie to you and I never have but if you want me to go, then fine…"

"By all means, go! Did I not tell you to before?" he sneered while drawling one arm up. The effect sent a chill through my spine to the core of my body. Was he to beat me if I stayed in his presence? "Run Ryou, run before I decide to do something… deadly." He then licked his lips as if the thought was a savory meal placed before him.

I wanted to say something by my breath was caught, dead center in my throat so I turned around at long last and went running through the living room, just avoiding the coffee table only to trip on my own two feet once more. Scrambling up onto both feet, I somehow managed to run in through the kitchen and down the other hall to the room I retired to.

Wrenching the door open, I slipping inside, hitting my hip against the door. Numbing heat inched itself out from where I had accidentally ran into the door after I had sealed it shut and leaned against the door itself. I could hear myself panting from a mixture of sorts; pain, exhaustion, humiliation, and fear.

What had I done to deserve this? Why did he not believe me when I said that I… That I loved him? Better yet, how could he ask me what love was and then turn on me like that? So many questions needed to be answered but I didn't dare to open the door, not until morning when I knew that Malik would be up. Until then, maybe I could just kind of rest my eyes and try to figure things out.

Slipping my arms about my sides, I held myself in hopes of finding so form of comfort. It wasn't nearly as nice as it would have been if someone else were to be the one holding me. That very thought made my eyes fog over with tears as I wished a certain blonde would do that for me but it was quite clear he didn't want to be near me. Sniffling to myself, I closed my eyes and sat in the dark…

* * *

Once the freaked out little hikari had ran off for their room, the blonde Egyptian stepped out into the moonlight living room with a triumphed grin. A sun caressed hand ran down through the side of his limp golden hair, removing the little tangles from the soft strands. "That went rather well, don't you think? 

Further down in the hall, another voice answered the proposed question. "Oh yes. It's such a lucky break that you look so much like Marik when in the darkness and that fool's personality is so easy to copy since you've shared a body for only so long," the voice finished with a little bout of snickering.

"Yeah, lucky…" Malik rubbed his throat tenderly. The inside felt raw since he had to change his voice to that like his yami. "What did you do with the body?" the little tan light asked as he finally moved his hand away, putting it down to his side.

A sharp canine tooth hang out over the thief's bottom lip. "The body… It's just fine. For now," he finished. A milky white hand reached down and stroked the unconscious lad's forehead that was bleeding off to one side. "He's kind of innocent looking when he's so helpless," the other yami murmured to himself. His hand moved further on up and brushed some of the platinum blonde bangs out of Marik's face.

The Ishtar lad let out a soft sigh before making his way to the others. One of the tomb keeper's eyebrows raised up curiously as he watched the two on the floor with mild interest. "I've done my part and these clothes are killing me." Violet orbs flashed from the pale tomb robber over to their owner's darker self. "I'll get the door and you can set things up as you wish over at your place for part two."

Bakura nodded his head but once before he arose; one of his arms were slipped in under the bleeding demon's armpit, pulling the chap up. With a grunt, he noted for Malik to help him. The two convicts handled Mariku's body like a bag of stolen loot. Arranging it upon Bakura's backside with little care for real treasure had no feelings and as far as they cared, neither did Marik.

Standing in the doorway to the outside world, the pale lad glanced back to his partner in crime with a sinister grin, much like a vampire. "I'll inform you of everything before I do anything, to drastic. Night Malik and take a shower of god's sake. You look like the piece of filth that I'm taking out," he spat before walking out into the night. The sun would be rising all to soon and time was off the essence.

Not intentionally meaning to, Malik pulled his eyes away from the past tomb robber's ass and closed the door. This was proving to be a hellish night and the deeds he had just done was already beginning to cause the little tan hikari much stress. Shouldn't he be happy about this? Yes, it was for the best! Ryou and the whole world would be better off if Marik was out of the way. Right?

The Ishtar lad went about face and out into a bathroom to wash up after he had fixed up and cleaned up the evidence in the hall so no one could put two and two together. Hot sudsy water ran over the golden haired boy's body. Had what he don't been the right thing after all? The majority of him said yes while there was this other side that suddenly regretted the entire thing. Well, it was to late to go back now, wasn't it? Well, wasn't it…

(Well, what do you think of this little twist, eh? TELL ME! Sorry this was late but, was this chapter worth the wait? Tell me please, ja.)


	13. Unlucky thirteen

**Morning, the sun is up, the stars are out of sight and everything is quiet. Something is wrong, how can things be so calm after a night of pure torture? Everything was pleasant, everyone who had been living in the Ishtar household was sitting at the breakfast table waiting for the missing member who they knew would not come. Why would he? He had been avoiding everyone but Malik it seemed for the past three days…**

A set of ocean blue eyes gazed across the table. The feminine orbs appeared to shine with a pleasant gleam while the smile on the owner's lips held a note of tender, genuine joy. "Help yourself Ryou," she smiled politely while moving a hand over the food spread out upon the tabletop.

I glanced over the tasty looking morsels with disgust that made my stomach tighten. I didn't want food. How could I when the boy I had confessed myself to had been avoiding ever since. A soft noise reached my ears that sparked a flare of hope within my gut but when I realized that noise was only that of the air vent kicking on, I swear my heart fell out of place.

"Pass me a banana sister," Malik requested. The raven haired woman passed the other Ishtar two bananas. The yellow curved fruit was then broke apart at their stems. "Thank you," he finished after setting the second one down. His caramel hands then went to skillful work of peeling the fruit down.

Again, silence filled the table as the blonde member of the family I was staying with munched away. The next one to make a movement to break the awkward air was the eldest in the room. Rishid reached out to his side and placed several pancakes onto his plate before adding syrup. Wasn't anyone going to say anything?

Placing my hands along the edge of the table, I was about to push myself back but hesitated. The intense, maddening sound of nothing was broken by the soft tinkling of a bell. Without saying anything, the woman of our group moved from the table to answer the phone. Oh how I envied her just then for being able to leave the table without making a scene.

"Is something wrong?" I blinked out of my temporary state of jealousy by the proposed question. A kind smile then formed on my face as a mask for all of my hidden emotions. Which one of them had asked me the question, I didn't know for both with looking at me curiously now while eating.

Where had my mind gone? Ever since that god awful night I-I couldn't think straight… I wanted so much to make up for what had happened but the man I wished so dearly to talk to and work things out with was no where in sight to be found! Why would he be? He was after all trying to keep away from me…

Swallowing the lump that had somehow formulated inside my throat, I shook my head softly for my answer. Three days have come and went, three whole days! I never even excepted to be living here with these people for this long let alone to fall for a man that everyone else said was to be sinister and insane. If anyone was, it was me.

I'm the fool who came searching for help. I'm the idiot that fallen head over heels for a supposed murder! I'm the chap that was driving himself mental from not seeing that beautiful man who rewired my mind so that I can't even attempt to sleep without dreaming about him being close. Oh what I would give to see him and explain myself to him! I'd give up anything for that one chance.

Something touched my shoulder making me jump in my seat. "Ryou, it's for you." I turned my head over one shoulder to find that that Egyptian woman was shaking me lightly to catch my attention. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to frighten you," her face contained some worry while she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Really." My eyes darted to her other hand which held the phone. "Um, I'll take it now if that's alright with you," I murmured just a hair above a whisper. The woman nodded once before handing the object over to me. I watched as she went to the refrigerator to fetch some milk. I then went back to my own business.

There was a bout of static coming from the earpiece of the device until it finally settled down into dead silence. I waited for an answer and when none came, I in turn tried to say something but sat still as if frozen in place. "Ryou, is that you?"

I sat up on the edge of my seat, literally as the voice finally spoke. I didn't have to answer before it continued on talking. My stunned silence seemed to be enough confirmation that it was me whom the other was talking to.

"I have a little surprise for you. Oh, it's just to die for," rang the chipper voice of a pleased yami. There was a muffled noise in the background; the sound was almost sickening to hear but vaguely audible at the same time. "Do come home, Ryou," the voice beckoned. "You'll simply die from the gift I have for you. Don't keep me waiting…"

Click. My hands trembled slightly as the dial tone buzzed in it's irritating little way, into my ear. "Excuse me won't you?" Pushing my chair back, I stood up walking over to the receiver and placed the phone back onto it's hook.

The platinum blonde also stood up after clearly finishing his banana and throwing the peeling away in the side waste receptacle. "Mind if I ask who it was?" My gracious host and friend inquired before sucking the remains of his meal off of his fingertips, one digit at a time.

Part of me didn't wish to answer the question while the other piece of me won the miniscule battle within. "It was Bakura," I muttered lowly with disappointment. As glad as I was to have him want me back, I didn't really want to go just yet without mending the fragile relationship I had with my crush before going but I knew better then to be hopeful.

"Really? Well, what did he want? No wait, don't tell me… That fool finally ran out of food and wants you to get him some at the market?" Malik suggested. His beautiful eyes looked unnaturally darker compared to their usual cheery shade of violet. "I wouldn't put it past him," he finished under his breath.

Shaking my head, I forced myself to look at my Egyptian friend. His face was far to similar to Marik's that it almost made me feel weak and want to run off to sulk. "No, he wants me to come home so he can show me something." At these words, the other boy lifted his gaze most curiously.

Was that fear I sensed in his eyes or was I imagining things? "Mind if I come with you just in case?" He replied lowly. That flash of fear had melted away into something else but all the same it was unnerving. It was as if it had turned into something of a more… darker state but-but that was impossible…

"Actually, I think he wants me to go alone. Thanks for the offer though." That was truthfully a nice offer but, my gosh... Something about it didn't feel quite right to me. "I think I'll be going now. I'll probably be back later anyway, I hope you don't mind."

I waited for him to answer only to settle for his nod of approval before making way to the door. Something odd was going on, no, had been going on and still is doing so. The question was what and why? Oh, my head hurts… Why can't one day be fun and pleasing for me AND my friends? Why can't-Why can't I just get away and hide from everything and everyone… Just for one day…

* * *

Nervously the blonde Egyptian, Malik, chewed on his bottom lip. Oh gods, what was Bakura up to? Yes he had made a deal saying that Bakura could do whatever he desired to that freak yami of his. Actually, the first full night that Bakura had taken Marik home with him was one of the best nights of the young tomb keeper's life.

Those muffled screams… How delightfully intoxicating they were and he didn't feel any regret or remorse for any of it! Well, except for the night of when they had planned everything but it had quickly gone away. That was good wasn't it? But even so, why did he feel bad about everything just now?

How could those exquisite groans and memories of what all took place in Bakura's apartment all suddenly vanish into thoughts of deep remorse? Was it because he knew he had did wrong or did it have something more to do with the friend he was hurting by lying to him about where his yami had been as well as to what he had up to for the past three nights?

Thank Ra Rishid stood up to put his now empty plate away or the youngest Ishtar boy present would have been lost in his subconscious for only the gods could tell how long. With a grim smile he had turned to face his relatives. "I think I'm going out for a bit. Mind if I go?"

Even though he had proposed the question, he didn't wait around for an answer like little Ryou had done. He knew what he had to do but the tough part was: Would he do what he knew was right? Or was keeping his promise with that psycho counterpart of Ryou what he should do?

"I need to clear my head," the platinum blonde murmured to himself before leaving the dinning room. The two remaining Ishtar's exchanged looks while Ishizu inclined her head as if in understanding. Her step-brother frowned and then looked at the direction on which his master had left.

Rishid knew he wouldn't follow, no matter how much he really wanted to. The fate of the four others were in their own hands. He just hoped that those hands wouldn't be stained with blood soon. But could hope be enough to pull off such a thing? He somehow doubted it…

* * *

There it was… My apartment that my darker self had kicked me out of some time ago. Funny how a place that held so many bad memories looked so cheery in the fresh sunlight. To be honest, not all the memories it held were bad. Some were actually kind of pleasant, especially when Bakura wasn't having a little drink here and there.

"Grr-ahhh!" I froze in my tracks just at the bottom of the little set of stairs, not sure if going into the place that was once forbidden to me was a good idea then realized something. "Nahhh!" the voice screamed in a sharp growl. This voice, I knew it. I know who it belonged to as well as the other voice that made my body tremble.

"You don't like the pain do you?" it questioned as if it were as sweet as honey. "It's a shame because it's never going to stop. Pain is all that you have known and it's all you ever will give to anyone who comes across your path."

Though my darker self didn't say the name of the misfortunate soul he was talking to; I only knew all to well that it was Marik. Fear grabbed at my stomach's core like an icy hand. How long had my yami tormented my dear Mariku for? Was he always to be lead down the path of self-destruction every time Bakura and Marik were to meet?

Wait; was that his big surprise for me? To show me that he was going to actually force Marik into killing himself in front of me? If that was the case then… No, I-I couldn't let that happen! Even if my golden bladed hair of a yami hated me, I wouldn't let Kura talk him into such a horrible thing!

Quickly climbing up the few stairs we had to the apartment, I pounded my fist against the door after finding it was locked. "Bakura, let me in!" I awaited only to hear a soft hiss that turned into a chuckle. "Let me in darn it!" I kicked the bottom of the door in my wild frustrations.

It felt like an eternity until the door opened up before me and further in it's place stood the man of my nightmares; the greatest thief to ever live, Bakura. The sun shined down on his features making him a pleasant sight much like in angel but this display didn't fool me. If he were to be an angel then that treacherous shadow of myself was an angel from the deepest part of hell.

"Ryou, how pleasant to see you," he commented but I somehow had managed to push past him into the dimly lit building. Strays of golden light struggled to squeeze their way through the blinds into the room. Just enough made it through to light up the confines but even that was hard to see in. "There's no need to be rude," the pale lad snapped.

Where was he? Where was Marik? The soft clicking of a door settling into its proper place ran in my ears as I turned to face my dreaded other self. "What did you do to him?" I spat. My anger to my love's possible death was more important to me then my own life but even then, my voice cracked under strain.

"So you know about your gift already? That's a shame." I watched his milky lips move with every word. Oh how I wanted to push him into something hard but I knew I couldn't do it. A low groan breached all other thoughts. It had come from the side room! "Ryou, I suggest that you be very cautious with everything you say because after you enter that room. You'll never think of him the same way ever again…"

(I finally updated? Can it be? Wow, and what a weird chapter too! Tell me of what you thought on it, please do. I ask this of you as a reader, tell me, I won't stop writing if you do or don't but I merely want your honest opinion of this tale so far.. The next chapter should hopefully be something worth dying over... Heh heh heh... Ja.)


	14. Misery hates company

Laughter emitted in miniature bouts which drifted out from the room before me. The sinister cackling carried more then a hefty spoonful of insanity to it with a dash of painful madness. "All alone in my world of sorrow with darkness promising me no tomorrow!" The owner's voice sounded like it was deepening before it busted out into loud sobbing.

"Ma-Marik?" My mouth felt dry while I spoke. "Are," I swallowed in hopes of clearing my tightening throat with little avail. "Are you-Are you…" What was I to say? Asking him if he was alright would be a good start since he sounded like he was having a breakdown but the words weren't forming.

"Go on Ryou, see your precious Marik for who he truly is…" my fiendish other self encouraged. With a 'friendly' push, he sent me stumbling forward but when I tried to grain my balance, I fell flat on my face into the carpeted flooring. My face burned as I pushed myself up only to freeze halfway at the sight of two black boots garnished with kaki jeans, caught my attention.

Those boots, I recognized them right away even though I could only bare to lift my gaze an inch or so at a time to reveal the chap that stood before me. Correction, who sat before me, bound with some kind of torn cloth to his seat like some form of a kinky mating game.

The ducky printed material was stained with blood in various places as torn stands of the fabric dangled in back of the chair where the Egyptian's wrists were tethered together. Apparently Kura had no problem with ruining the only cute thing that he had ever given to me, let alone using it against my crush.

"Darkness holds me tightly, never to let me go. I was never meant to be, so for me no love will show." Insane poems poured out of the blonde's mouth while he sat with his head facing towards the ground. His own hair hide his face in darker shadows as he rambled on about the darkness he felt and the love he'd never feel from anyone.

To my horror I had managed to put the pieces together; Bakura had done it. My own yami had pushed Malik's darker self into this bizarre state that was displayed before myself. Lifting his head, dry rusty colored blood clung in several streaks on my dark angel's face.

"I have an idea Ryou, why don't you try to comfort him? It's perfectly safe while he's tied to that chair as long as you keep away from his mouth of course," my putrid other self chuckled. How dare he talk about Marik as if he were some kind of beast? He wouldn't bite me. At least, not very hard… I think… Either way, it didn't matter. It gave him no right to abuse the other!

Slowly moving towards the bound down blonde, I brushed a few dirty, damp strands of hair from out of his face to peer into his eyes. Those glorious eyes that were so dark and yet beautiful were now empty passageway to his soul that only shown a pit of infinite despair.

"I'm sorry Marik. I'm so, so sorry," I squeaked out weakly. Why didn't I try harder to make things up to him? If I wouldn't have ran away and just have accepted his wrath in the hallway that one night, would I have been able to prevent the horrors that my psychopathic yami caused to him?

The possible answer of yes rang like a bell within my soul. I could have prevented everything and yet I was the cause of all of it instead! Tears burned in my eyes before descending down my pale cheek, dripping onto the stained carpet.

"You can take him home now, unless if you'll let him spend the night with me again." A heartless grin fanned out and spread like wildfire across Bakura's smug face. "Though I can't guarantee he'll be alive when you return to pick him up…"

A sharp glare was my evil self's reward for his wicked mouth. Like lightening, my attention quickly converted towards my beloved Ishtar. "I'm sorry," the words repeated themselves once more as I lent forwards and brushed my lips against the lovely set of caramel colored ones.

The kiss that Ryou gave out of pure innocent compassion, sparked something most foul within the tan Egyptian. Something that was planted into his subconscious by three loathsome nights of pure torture and heinous abuse that only the cloak of darkness could hide from the outside world.

With widening eyes, the tomb keeper twitched within his seat as if little jolts of electricity were coursing through his veins with every piece of detail that screamed in his mind in ugly flashbacks. In his state of shock, Ryou drew himself away from his trembling love that was now screaming out in an inhuman fashion. Was he demon possessed after all? Yes, one could say that for the demon that was in control of his mind was the only one within that blood splattered room that wasn't afraid by how this Ishtar man was reacting…

* * *

(Just to let you know; This is a flashback that Marik is going through that was brought on by the kiss.) 

Tan eyelids slowly parted; opening as if they were slowly being draw apart like bizarre curtains. The lilac orbs that were revealed struggled to focus against the harsh beam of light which streaked across his face. "Ugh, what the fuck hit me?" the owner of these dark lilac eyes grumbled.

"Oh, you're awake? Smashing…" The pale madman paused after he had realized he had subconsciously picked up on one of the words Ryou used to say when he was excited about something. The awkward silence was quickly disposed off by an off-color motion from the thief.

Bedazzled by the blinding light that now shimmered into the tan man's eyes, the pale other jerked the cord to the blind with a sharp tug. The heave item scuttled downwards to bock out that cursed sun that shined in from that particular window. The other windows also had their blinds down but the room was still lazily lit.

How innocent that other had looked before that hideous frown crossed over onto his face, Bakura thought to himself. "Before you ask anymore ridiculous questions, I'll tell you this… Where you are isn't important compared to what I'm going to do to you."

These words that Bakura spoke barely registered into Marik's mind for his thoughts were still a tad scattered from the blows he had taken to his head during the night. What, if where he was didn't really matter then that only meant he was in a place he couldn't recognize. Oh hell, how did he of all people get kidnapped?

* * *

(Another brillant flash of dimsal hues etch their way over the previous flashback and move ahead by a little over an hour in his vile recollection. The miserable tan yami trembles in short yet violet quakes with a mixture of pure pain on his mug as this new flashback seems to devower his very soul...) 

"Bakura! What are you-" a low, deep groan escaped the tan yami's lips. This very action kept him from finishing his sentence. Curse the thief and his hands! The pale other shouldn't even be near him, feeling him up the way he had been doing.

Mud-brown eyes lifted upwards as the thief leaned in closer, closing the gap between their bodies. His milk white hand that had been rubbing up against Marik's groin only to glide up the other's dark skinned chest. "What's a matter Marik, never been this close to anyone before?"

A rose tinted flush edged into the Ishtar's cheeks from the question. Every movement that Bakura made wasn't helping him either. The mere fact he could feel his cheeks burning only made this hatred flare in his gut. What was this feeling? Anger? Yes and no… It was more then that.

"My god, you haven't have you?" The past tomb robber questioned with a curious glint to his eyes. "Oh this is nice. No, this is more then nice, it's delicious," Kura purred. His voice carried a dreadful tune of contentment. What hellish horrors did he have in store for the prisoner in his 'humble' abode?

"Get off of me! What the hell is this?" Marik hissed. He arched himself out in a vain attempt to get away only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt. The position he was forced into left him under the pale yami. "Baku-Ra!" Marik cried out, his back now arched on it's own from the hot touch of pale skin that grazed his own burning flesh.

Pulling from the left of Bakura's lips was a sinister grin. One of his pearly white incisors stood out causing his whole appearance to darken his fiendish aura. So everything the albino male had learned from wondering around in Marik's thought's was true after all. He never had been close to anyone, especially like this…

What was he doing? The silver haired daemon scolded himself in the back of his mind, wondering how he could loath this cursed man before him and yet be slightly drawn towards him. Maybe it was because that against all odds this Ishtar wasn't as bad of a creature as anyone made him out to be. No, Marik was a truly worthless person in his eyes but there was something there, hidden in that Egyptian's soul.

Several choice thoughts skipped around in a miscellaneous rhythm in the murderous pale man's mind. Was it 'wrong' to hurt someone for messing with HIS property? Of course not! This dark spirit needed to be broken for tainting his light! It was the right thing to do, it had to be.

"What better way to mess up someone's mind then by messing with their body?" he mused to himself under his breath. A pale hand that rested on the other's chest slid down in a slow and thoughtful way. "He does look a lot like Malik… a little manly then I prefer… but…" The once great thief king murmured these strange words that little to no sense to Marik except for one thing he was sure about. He was going to despise whatever Bakura was going on about and there wasn't much he could do about it to stop him.

Bloodstained orbs of violet widened when a strange sensation burned within his lower elements. Turning his head downwards, he discovered the source of this throbbing sensation; a milky white hand was feeling around in a more then friendly gesture which in turn made the lad moan.

"Beautiful," Kura purred. He was enjoying the reactions he was getting out of his demented little experiment. "But that's enough playing around…" The Ishtar cringed within his restraints that bound his arms to his sides. There was something terrible in the albino's voice and the devilish gleam to his eyes only confirmed it as the thief stepped back and started to unbuckle his belt.

"Listen and listen well. Everyone hates you. You should be dead but you're to stupid to even do that right! So now I'm going to fix everything-" CRACK! The tan man screamed out in horrendous pain as the belt snapped against his face. "You're worthless and you hate everyone because you know you're nothing but garbage."

The sinister thief chuckled as he took several more swings at the blonde. The clasp in the back of his belt buckle caught the side of the Egyptian's face and split the sun kissed skin open; allowing the rich scarlet blood to drip down from the fresh, burning wound.

The game was on as the pale yami started to rip the front of the other's shirt and beat him with his belt and buckle. Blood spritzed onto the side wall, complete with a demonic growl of misery and set of poisonous words which were repeated over and over until they'd become false truths. This was only the beginning. He would repeat this demented game for two more nights and why not get some pleasure out of it and fuck up the lad even more. With Ryou gone, it had been some time since he had a good lay and like he mentioned before… Marik did look a lot like Malik…

* * *

(Switching back to the present state of time.)

What on Earth was going on with him? In my state of confusion, when I had darted away from the growling teen, I had somehow managed to trip over my own feet only to end up on the floor once more. "Don't touch me!" He snarled. His voice loud yet deep with terrible insanity to it. "Don't you dare touch me!"

Chuckling drifted through the air at my side whilst the tomb keeper started to rock in his chair. The wooden object creaked fiercely. Two of the objects legs listed up into the air as the man howled with rage only to come crashing down onto the flooring, the back legs rising up when he rocked about as if he were in a boat caught in a terrible storm. The noise the creeping item made was just as terrifying as lightening in itself.

"Get away from me! I'll kill you! I swear to the gods I'll kill you!" The chair fell over onto its side along with the fellow whom sat upon it. "Gah! Damn you,! Fuck you both!" Cursing, the platinum blond struggled within his bindings and continued on his filthy language.

My cheeks burned from embarrassment and complete fear of the situation at hand. "Isn't this fun?" questioned a dark voice from my right. "He hates you Ryou. I've told you before that he'd never love you let alone like you. Just look at him." Though I absolutely wished to flat out refused to believe him, I looked back over to the squirming yami with a heavy spirit.

Turning back to my other self, we both froze at the sound of ripping fabric that was followed by complete silence. Simultaneously, turning to where Marik had fallen, only to discover an empty chair. "Oh shit-" These were the choice words my conniving side had to say before he went sailing off into a wall and crumpled onto the ground. His groaning was the only confirmation to that he was still alive and awake.

"Bakura!" Though he was not on my good side for what he had done, I couldn't just ignore that he had been attacked out of nowhere.

"Bakura!" cried another voice in unison with my own. "What have you- Ryou, get down!" called out a shrilled voice. Turning around against my better judgment and the new voice that had joined us, I soon found myself suspended in the air by the front of my shirt.

There before me stood my battered, broken demon of the heavens, Marik Ishtar. His white teeth gleamed as his lips were pulled back into a malicious sneer but soon everything flashed a brilliant white. Pain wrenched through my whole back as my backside hit the nearest wall.

Everything was happening so fast when I could swear that I heard yet another voice that was deeper then them all join into the mess saying something like 'Put him down Marik!' but to my ears it sounded more like someone yelling at a ravenous dog.

"Here, catch!" The hellish angel cackled as he thrust my body off to the side. I could feel myself make contact with someone else but everything was one hazy blur after the other. "I hate you all, stay the fuck away from me!" Hissed out these bitter words that echoed into my mind as I closed my eyes and wept, to sore to even attempt to stand on my own and to miserable to even try to comprehend what all had just happened. All I knew was that it was all my fault and Marik hated me for it… And there wasn't much I could do to change it…

(I know that this one was EXTREMELY late but I made it almost twice as long to make up for my two weeks absence. I know it's poorly put together but with graduation coming up in my school, the homework has doubled and if I don't get it done... I CAN'T GRADUATE! Though this story is very important to me as a writer... I MUST graduate. Anyway, forgive me of my absence... Tell me what you thought of this chapter! And aren't you glad it wasn't another cliffhanger? Well, it kind of is and yet kind of isn't... You decide. Ja.)


	15. Its been a while

Rushed footsteps echoed like mad as dismal hues zipped past in no particular order. I could hear myself breathing hard already as I continued running down the back ally ways of downtown Domino, Japan. 

"Marik, wait!" I called out disparately. My voice was dry and cracked as I gulped for oxygen which burned the inside of my throat. "Stop running, please!" I yelled out in vain hopes that he'd stop running from me. Yes. I was indeed in pursuit of my runaway love who insisted in quickening his pace each time I came close to catching him.

"Come on Ryou, do keep up!" the deep voice cackled playfully from every direction it seemed. Oh God, I hated this part of town. It seemed every time I went past a dark ally that someone attempted to jump me for my money and yet here I was chasing after the darker side of my dear friend, Malik. Hopefully that would not be the case this time. I couldn't afford to waste one second to stop for breath or I knew I'd lose track of the fleeing yami.

"Faster little one!" He called before making a sharp turn to the right and further into the maze that was Domino. With a forced swallow of fringed air, I did as requested and picked up in speed, nearly running into the building's side but miraculously made the turn only to stop dead in my tracks. It was a dead end and Marik was no where in sight.

I couldn't believe it. Sparing a glimpse down to my wrist watch, I gave a hefty sigh of despair. I had been hot on his trail for over half an hour now and yet my golden bladed haired crush had still managed to avoid me. Three days of not knowing where he had gone off to since that cursed night of seeing him bound and beaten at my old apartment, thanks to Bakura, and just when I had been out to get some fresh air to take my mind of the whole thing... I had spotted him and we locked eyes for half a minute before he took off running and I went after him.

_Squeak_. I looked towards the left corner of the dead end to see a rat had come out of hiding and was gnawing on a piece of unidentifiable food. Shuddering with disgust, a new noise caught my attention, one that sounded like squeaking metal. Where it was coming from though, that was the mystery.

"Darkness will rise up and devour every last trace of light." I paused recognizing the voice and looked around. He was here still but where? "Thus ending another day by making it into a sacred night."

What on earth was he doing? I couldn't help but wonder as I strained my eyes and peered around in the shadow filled area and then it hit me: Poetry. He was reciting poetry. For whatever reason was a mystery to me but maybe it had to do something with that he was actually an artistic kind of person.

"Tell me Ryou," he began with a low tone. "Why do you even bother trying to find me? I'm a lost soul. There is no hope left for me so why do you even try to change that?" The simple questions had simple answers. I loved him, that's why I chased after him for so long. I loved him and I missed him so much and here he was believing all those lies Kura drilled into his head about him being a monster.

"You're not a lost soul, Marik. You're just lost and I want to take you back to your family," I replied honestly. Where was he hiding at? He didn't sound muffled so he couldn't have been in the dumpster but perhaps he was behind it...

Deciding to check it out, I took a few steps forward and craned my neck to one side to slowly look behind the grimy object.

_Creek, conk, Creeeek..._ "I'm not over there," A voice purred as the screeching metallic noise ripped through the air in an irritating tune just a hair worse then fingernails on a chalkboard. "Try up here," the voice added on as the creaking started to slow a little.

Looking up I saw an empty fire escape and it clicked in my mind as I whipped around and saw his dark figure leaning against the guardrail of the other fire escape. A crazed smirk to his caramel colored lips. Apparently he was pleased that I finally had found him once more.

"Why would my 'family' want me back?" He asked as he rocked his body against the escape to keep it on its mind numbing tune. "They hate me and each one had tried to kill me at least once."

Sadly I knew he had been right. In the past few days after he had ran off I had been called into the Ishtar residence to discuss a variety of things ranging from their past, how Marik was made, to the present and that Malik had assisted in Bakura's sick game of ruining my love's mind. That last part had gotten to me so I had refused to speak to the blonde hikari since then and as for Bakura... He somehow managed to disappear not long after Marik had ran out of the apartment three days ago and still hadn't been seen by anyone since then.

However, what could I say to counteract his statement? "Well then," I started out, moving one hand over my chest where my heart would be and pressed it against the fabric of my shirt. "Forget about them. I want you back." Those bloodstained violet eyes of his narrowed as I continued speaking. "I miss you, please, please won't you come home?"

"Missed me?" Marik's words come out as if they were from an innocent child; foreign to him and new. "Why? Isn't there anyone else for you to talk to or are you just dying for a chance to be like all the others and hurt me?" The disturbing squeak of metal against metal had ceased as he stopped rocking the escape to hear my reply.

I could feel my eyes start to burn as he questioned me. Could he really not see that I truly cared for him or was it simply my dark half's doing when he ruined his mind? No. I couldn't let him slip past me again and let it be my fault this time. I had to be strong, not for just myself but for my love too.

"Marik, I want to talk to you." I would have said I loved him before what I did say but I wasn't sure if he'd believe me or run away again. If he had run away, I was certain I'd never catch him again so I had to play my cards right. Unfortunately, I had never been too great with convincing others to see things the way I saw them. I mostly would end up just telling them that they were right and walk off feeling defeated but I couldn't allow that to happen this time.

Skepticism crossed over his sleek facial features before fading away into a minuscule smirk. For a moment it looked like he was about to say something but instead he shook his head and walked over to one end of the iron escape then started to climb down the latter a few steps. A sun kissed hand balled up into a fist before hitting against one side of the latter and shooting its occupant and itself down towards the earth, halting just a ways off the ground where Marik jumped off landing on both feet.

He must have seen the fear in my eyes cause by his little stunt when he turned sideways to look at me. "Enlighten me. What is it that you want to discuss?"

"Your poem," I replied perhaps a bit too quickly as he moved closer and circled around me once. I could feel his questioning gaze try to look for some kind of entrance to my soul to see if I was hiding something from him but he had stopped in front of my person and gave off a gruff grunt to signal for me to follow him. At least I think that was what he wanted as he turned his back to me and was starting to walk away.

I figured talking about what had happened to him would only upset things more so talking about something of his interest could possibly bring him out and back to normal as time went on. It was a hopeful wish anyway.

"Darkness will rise up and devour every last trace of light, thus ending another day by making it into a sacred night." The faintly familiar words started to imprint themselves onto my brain as he repeated the poem as he walked on in front of me. I decided to pick up in speed so I could walk next to him. His legs being longer then mine meant his casual stride was quicker then my own.

"What exactly is it about that poem that you want to know?" His dark violet orbs looked over to me from the corner of his eyes. "It's just something I made up a while ago when I was thinking about my homeland." Feeling myself blink I stared at him as stopped in my tracks the same time as he did when we just gotten out of the ally. Did he miss Egypt? "Gods, I hated that place." So much for that theory...

"If you hate it so much... Then why did you-" He cut me off by holding his hand out just in front of my face and chuckled which was making me wonder if he had also picked up on how to play the same mind games as my own darker side did.

"Just because one hates something doesn't mean they can't appreciate the concept of its beauty." Caramel colored lips twitched and started to pull upwards in what could have been a smile but the hope of that quickly was dispelled as they reverted downwards into a frown. "But what would anyone else know. They'd just find me crazy."

I shook my head and put on a smile of my own. "I don't think your crazy, Mariku. I think you're-"A sharp pain sank into my shoulder which in turn made my sentence get cut off my a moan of pain that coursed though my back and fanned out.

"Pathetic," a cold voice finished my sentence for me and incorrectly at that as an arm wrapped around my neck. "I'm actually shocked that you're still in town, let alone alive." The voice behind me cackled and then it hit me who it belonged to. It couldn't have belonged to anyone else but that white haired terror of a thief king, Bakura.

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by two fingers digging into the lower part of my neck. That bastard was hitting my pressure points!

"Quiet, Ryou. You've had your talk with the boy, now it's my turn. You just catch up on your beauty sleep," the sinister voice purred as my world was already starting to cloud over with darkness and I could feel myself grow weaker.

"Don't listen," I muttered with what strength I could muster. "Don't listen to Bakura, Marik. He's a liar-" And everything grew dark. The last thought running through my mind was that I hoped my little Egyptian crush would believe me and not get hurt anymore by that conniving thief...

* * *

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Poor sweet hikari," Bakura chuckled as the smaller version of himself fell backwards into his arms. His little light's sentence had been cut off at 'He's a-' before he completely blacked out.

The knife he carried to stab Ryou in the back fell from his hand that he had used to wrap around the little light's neck after the attack. "You really put him through a lot of pain Marik." A more the pleased smirk crossed his features as he took in the delicious sight of his enemy's widened eyes and expression of shock and possible fear. "If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be in his mess."

The blonde male quickly narrowed his eyes into menacing slits as he glared down the thief. "I didn't run a knife half way into him!" He spat as he threw a pointing finger down to the bloodied switchblade that lay on the ground. It's silver blade glimmering with crimson liquid halfway up its small blade.

"Oh please, I've done worse," he replied truthfully as if it didn't mean anything to him. "But you have done the most painful thing of all to the boy." A curious look of confusion peeled across the tan Egyptian's face. What had he done worse then stabbing Ryou? "You let him fall in love with you and then you broke his heart," Bakura replied to answer the unspoken question.

"I... What?" Marik asked bewildered. He could hardly comprehend what he was hearing and frowned deeply at the sight of Bakura shaking his head.

"If you really want to know then you will follow me." The Ishtar watched even more confused by the statement as Bakura loaded his hikari onto his back so the little one's arms were draped over his shoulders and his legs were around his waist as if he were giving him a piggy back ride. "Or you can stay here in the dark and forget that someone once loved you after all."

With that said the pale yami started to walk away with his catch. A battle was going on inside Marik's head. One of the words he thought were true that Bakura had drilled into his mind that no one ever loved him or ever could and yet here he was just told by the same man that Ryou did indeed love him after all. What was he to believe? Did Ryou really love him or was he indeed a freak made on accident that no one could ever show affection to?

"Grrr- AHHH!" The tan dark spirit grabbed onto both sides of his head and howled out in pure miserable anger. "Bakura! Get your ass back here!" The tan madman snarled as he decided that he would catch the other and beat him till he gotten the truth out of him. Bakura though had other plans as he started to run and the chase was on once more but this time Marik was the one in pursuit.

Would he find what he wanted or was Bakura leading him into another trap? The question rang in the back of the blond male's skull as he ran faster try to catch the thief of his little albino light. He couldn't admit it but there was still a part of him that disparately wanted Ryou to actually love him since he was still sure that he himself felt something for the other as well... He wanted to know what though and catching up to Bakura could give him the answer...

(Oh wow, I actually added to my story! And guess what? I am living in a new state! But enough about me. Tell em what you thought of my newest chapter, good or bad, please do tell me what you thought of it. I will admit I just woke up and decided to work on it today. So if it seems kind of weird to you.. That's because I haven't had practice in writing for so long since I graduated. Also, did you notice the lack of potty language? Weird isn't it? Oh yes, and what will happen to Ryou and Marik in the next chapter? Do you even care? Please show if you do by leaving a comment and I swear I'll reply and answer all your questions. Even those weird ones like 'What came first? The chicken or the egg?' and much more! .. Yes... I'm clearly hyper on water again... Thanks for taking the time to read this, ja ne.)


	16. Unwanted and unxepected help

"This isn't as fun as leading the chase," Marik hissed dryly before panting for sweet breath

"This isn't as fun as leading the chase," Marik hissed dryly before panting for sweet breath. His cold violet eyes darted around the new alleyway after he had been forced to stop for breath. "Where is that bastard?" Needles to say, he had been swearing under his breath during the very beginning of this twisted chase.

There was no response to his question aside from the near dead silence. His own heavy breathing was the only thing he could hear. He couldn't give up now. Not after chasing that blasted thief for gods only know how long.

"You shouldn't have wasted all your energy adverting little Ryou or you might have caught me by now," echoed the other male's voice.

A deep scowl took over Marik's sun kissed face from the rude reminder of how careless he had been. It didn't help that the shoe was now on the other foot and he was the one being tormented instead of being the genius tormentor.

Again the mad man's eyes narrowed more and attempted to peer through the darkness to locate their master's foe. That damned albino bastard had to be close judging by how all the echoes weren't faint nor spread out too far. Now, just where in this black cloak of shadows resided the fool who took his beloved light?

"You know," Marik nearly flinched from how in thought the other's voice sounded just then. "The back of your head does look a lot like an artichoke…"

The Egyptian felt his face knot up with confusion spliced with anger. Why in the seven hells did that pasty skinned freak have to point out his unique hairstyle just now? Wait… 'The back of your head,' Bakura's broken sentence repeated itself three times in Marik's skull as he turned around to face his putrid foe.

"Ah, you actually comprehended my little hint. I'm so proud of you," the snow haired yami mocked before giving off a short, dark chuckle.

Marik blinked with sudden surprise as he came to the realization that the former thief king's arms were empty of his lighter personality. Now this was a pickle, he thought as his violet eyes rose up to look Bakura straight in the face. Actually his real words were much darker and had more of a colorful vocabulary to them then 'This is a pickle'.

"Where is he?" Bakura rose up a hand in silence to show Marik that he needed to calm down. What he didn't realize was that Marik was actually not growling as coldly as he could have been. Perhaps it was because he was actually worried for the pale hikari.

Gesturing with his hand already in the air, he stretched it out and fanned it across his person. "It seems I have misplaced the little light. My guess is that I must have dropped him somewhere during the chase… Pity…" The voice was soft yet venomous all the same. "However," he waited to see the faint glimmer of hope or pure hatred at least in the Egyptian's eyes before continuing on.

And there it was! That ever so slight of a twitch in Marik's left eye that almost everyone mistook for insanity but this madman of a yami before him. The Ishtar was pissed and to Bakura… It was a true and satisfying delight.

"If you really care for him as much as _he_ thinks you do then you will find him before sunset," Ryou's yami prattled on only to pause to see if the other was still listening and not just going to attempt to strangle him to death.

Marik simply moved his hand over so the palm was facing skyward before himself in a quick manner to show the fiend that he wanted him to hurry or he just might do what was half expected of him.

"Find him before sunset or he'll forever sleep in the Shadow Realm." Bakura's words were softly spoken but the laughter that followed these mind blowing words was the opposite. "You have about three hours. Four at the most…"

The former thief king smirked as Marik had ran off back in the direction he had came. "Too bad you will never find him before then and even if you do… I'll be there waiting…" With that bit of news whispered into the air he turned around and went the opposite direction of Marik. He had plenty of time on his hands compared to Marik, he might as well enjoy it…

* * *

I could feel my eyelids slight open and gently close again before snapping wide open from a harsh and oh so sudden realization. "Not again…" I drowned as I realized the darkness around my body was all to familiar and way too bizarre to belong to the real world. "Stupid yami and his habit of sending me to this godforsaken place," I couldn't help but mutter.

Soft mutterings however caught my ear. Where exactly there were coming from was too difficult to pinpoint since they sounded like they were coming from everywhere.

"I'm an idiot… How could I have possibly thought that anyone could fall for me? Fool…" The voice said plainly but low. "Love is meant for other not monsters… Like me…"

That voice, I knew that voice! It was clearly that of Marik Ishtar's but it wasn't in its common tone at all. It was much more depressed and distant sounding then ever before. Had he really given up on me loving him or-or was this simply an illusion made by the Shadow Realm?

"It's impossible, hopeless, and inconceivable to think that I- That he…" his voice faded off yet still I could not point out what direction it was coming from. "Love me," it added weakly from seemingly no where unparticular.

Why was he telling himself lies? I did and still do love him! God, would I have to pound that tidbit of a fact into his skull before he'd wise up and realize how much I truly did?

I was starting to get a small feeling of anger in my stomach that quickly dissipated when the voices owner came into view from the murky darkness. He was on his knees with his face tilted skyward as crystal streams ran down his handsome face.

Marik… Marik was actually crying? This was hard to handle especially when he was the type of guy who refused to let anyone see him do such an act because he didn't want to be seen as a weakling. What a cruel illusion the shadows had conjured up just for me. It was amazingly disheartening on top of that.

"I should have known better," the tan male murmured with his eyes still closed and his head angled up. His tears were thick and still running down his face. I couldn't stand it anymore so I went over to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder only for him to open his eyes.

His-his eyes! T-they were missing!

I shivered involuntarily as the dark holes in his head now were aimed directly at me. The once clear tears were now turning red, swirling and blending with the salty clear tears and consuming them till they were nothing but blood.

"Such a fool to believe for even half a second that the gods would allow me such a small glimmer of hope! I should have known better!" The blonde hissed in pain. Clearly he wasn't in pain from his lack of eyes but from something entirely different. Then I realized something… I had pulled away from him.

"…Love isn't for the wicked." His hands then moved up over his vacant eye sockets and allowed his own blood to leak onto them as he wept silently. It was a horrible sight to behold but I had done an even more horrid act by backing away when he needed me the most.

"Shh- It's okay! It's going to be okay!" I lied but encouraged as I collapsed onto my knees in front of the kneeling Egyptian, throwing my arms around his small waist. He was surprisingly thin for as strong and muscular as he was. His sobbing jerked our bodies in a small rhythmic motion.

This madness had to stop. The tan yami was not as evil as the others had caused him to believe himself to be. Without a single word passing from either of our lips the youngest member of the Ishtar family leaned forward into my embrace whilst moving his hands from his face.

"It's so cold, Ryou…" he whispered. "The darkness is always so cold and empty…" I felt compelled to nod in agreement only to see that his eyes were back and the blood on his tan face was reverting back into actual tears.

How could I have forgotten that with was the realm of shadows? This Marik was not my real live crush but something this world of darkness had made to keep me occupied. Perhaps in some strange way to symbolized a few things but in the end this man I was holding onto was still not the real deal.

"Oh Mariku… I miss you. Please be alright," I whispered into the imposter's ear as if that might possibly reach the real Marik somehow. A vain desire I knew but still, I wanted to let him know how I really felt about him and this fake would have to do till and if the actual one would appear.

"Please," I breathed once more before pulling the figure with me closer whilst the ink black darkness crept in closer to us in dead silence.

* * *

What way now? What direction? The youngest of the three evil spirits known to anyone growled in a breathy air of annoyance as he had no idea where the hell he was or how long he had been searching. All he knew was that he was quickly running out of time with every alleyway he checked.

"Fuck!" Marik kicked the side of a dumpster as he came to the realization that he had been down this alley before since it was the same dumpster he kicked last time out of anger judging by the near identical dent an inch or two away from this new one.

Turning around he placed his back against the crude smelling metal object and placed a hand over his temple, the vein lying underneath his skin throbbing from rage. Just were in the blue blazes was the little light he searched for?

"Damn it, damn it, fuck!" The Ishtar lad hissed as he hit the back of his head against the trash receptacle while he slid down its side. He didn't care about the grim he was getting on his clothes because there was something more important to think about though if he did realize it later when he would get his hands on that albino thief then he'd be sure to throw in an extra kick to the groin for making him get his outfit dirty.

"Come out, come out where ever you are…" he muttered bitterly only to jump from mild surprise when a cat leaped out from the shadows. "I wasn't talking to you!" He barked. "Get lost."

Instead of doing as it was told the feline moved in closer and rubbed up against the madman's leg. Purring and pawing at him playfully.

"You're shitting me," the blonde Egyptian sighed distastefully. Did this cat want him to play with it in this time of crisis? He had better things to do then- "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going? Get back here!" the dark spirit snarled as he scrambled to his feet when the black cat with a front right orange paw took off after swatting him in the arm when Marik had tried to smack it away. Of course it had to be the one part of his arm that wasn't protected by jewelry.

Hot on the runaway cat's tail, so to speak, the golden haired male nearly crashed into the side of a building from the sharp turn and skidded down another back way. "I just want to ring your scrawny neck!" He called after the creature as if that wasn't such a bad thing though his voice clearly told another story.

Turning back to get out from the alley he had accidentally ran through in his pursuit of the 'cat from hell' as Marik so dubbed it in his mind he slowed down when he spotted a half opened window he recognized. This was one of the paths that he had lead Ryou down when the hikari was chasing after him but that window wasn't opened even in the slightest before.

"I'll kill you later," he promised the cat that now stood next to the corner way and stretched itself out when it realized the chase was over. "Don't get cocky with me!" He grunted at its lazy yawn that followed its stretch. "Later…"

Dark brown eyes narrowed into small slights. This was not in his plan! Marik was not supposed to be here till another ten minutes. This was throwing everything off! Seemed the mostly black cat had another foe on its list that now wanted it dead.

The bloodstained brown set of eyes backed off into the shadows produced by the other building across from the one Marik was now climbing the fire escape to. "I can't let him win!" Bakura grumbled scornfully as he made way for the staircase to attempt to beat the Ishtar to his prize. The sun would finally set in just less then ten minutes and he needed to-

"Stop!" Yes, that was part of what he was going to say but it was not him who had said it. "I can't let you do this…"

Bakura opened his mouth to say the name of the very soul who was blocking his path but an earsplitting screech prevented him from doing such. The figure didn't matter at this exact moment when Ryou's yami had recognized the yell that had went along with the metal against metal squeal.

Soon both figures were at the broken in window that Bakura was once standing by just a moment ago but the scene across the street was different now. Marik was dangling off the side of the fire escape by one hand. Apparently the rusted side of the escape had at last corroded away to where the smallest touch was enough to break it free and now the Egyptian was hanging off the side that was also about to give out.

Not exactly the death Bakura had planed for Marik but it would suffice since the drop would land that tan brat face first into a hydrant or the shards of glass from one of the many gang fights that had once taken place below.

Reaching upwards, the tan male attempted to grab onto a slightly more sturdy part of the railing he was dangling from but misses. The sway and combined weight of his body on the piece he was hanging from creaked with an awful groan that split the last welt holding the side onto the main framework of the stair escape.

Plainly stated, it was like watching a worm on a hook. The inevitable fate of death was near and everyone aware of the scene was certain of the outcome.

Another creak was produced as the insane yami started to swing his weight on the hardly holding piece he was clinging to. Faster he shifted his weight till the noise above his head was great and at least the strength of the rail gave out from above his head and broke free into a separate piece.

"No!" The person next to Bakura shrieked as they watched the other spirit descend towards the ground.

"At last! It's over… Thank you for your assistance Malik," Bakura chuckled coldly as he passed the tan hikari. "You were of great help in my cause. It's a pity you went soft at the last second though."

Malik watched out the broken window with a sad heart at what he had helped accomplish. He had convinced himself after talking with his sister that Marik would actually be good and better off with Ryou only for his yami to die just when he himself decided to do something good?

"Wait," the tan light murmured softly. The single word caught the pale male's ears. Something clearly was not right… Not in the slightest…

(Long time no see huh? Well, this is my newest chapter of which I am actually kind of.. excited over myself? Nothing I wrote even went as I expected it to on top of that! Gods, how crazy is that? Oh, by the way, please comment on this chapter! I want to see if you understood it at all or if my hyperness has simply gone to my head. I also wish to see if you want me to continue because I still will either way but i desire to know if you like the direction this is moving in. Well, tell me and ja ne!)


	17. A gift of confusion

**The sun was setting fast as the day was coming closer to a closing point. What once had been a glorious sunny day had quickly metamorphosed into a foul game of chase. That made it worse was that Marik had started the game only to wind up being the one forced into finding his crush that Bakura had hidden from him with a deadly promise of what should happen to Ryou if Marik did not find the pale hikari before sunset…**

Pale skin scrunched up along the top of Bakura's nose as both of his eyes began to tremble in different paces. "Unacceptable," the white haired demon hissed. Malik did not even get the chance to say anything before the yami had returned to the window to see what he was mildly excited about. Marik survived…

Groaning came from the other side of the alley as a certain spiky haired blonde was pushing himself up. Marik had been a luck bastard in Bakura's opinion to have landed onto the top of a closed garbage receptacle when he had been swinging to wildly out of control on that piece of junk metal that had broken free for the main part of the fire escape when he had leaded to far one direction.

Without another word the snowy haired dark spirit pushed past his once partner in crime who tried to protest but blocking his way. An act that did not go over well for the blonde who was shoved aside like a rag doll from the extra adrenaline that was running through Bakura's bloodstream, courtesy to his reborn rag against Marik's very existence.

"Bakura, you don't understand! If you do this then what Ishizu foresaw will become a reality!" the little light begged to no avail. Bakura had already exited the room and was hurriedly on his way down the twisting metal staircase judging by the loud ringing of footsteps. "I can not let this be. What sister saw…" The small Egyptian grimaced as he returned to the window ledge to check on Marik's progress. "Nothing good will come of this if Bakura gets to him…"

* * *

Muscles burned while bones ached. That was not a soft landing needless to say, it did not help that his swinging brought the fallen piece of rusted metal his way as well which landed over his left leg, tearing a decent sized hole through his pants and flesh in his calf that allowed crimson to spread out slowly. Mercifully it wasn't too hard to shove aside but that was that caused the gash in the first place verses the actual impact of the object landing on him during the fall.

Teeth clenched in a vain attempt to ignore the pain, Marik immerged on the top of a metal garbage bin that was tucked up close to the building just under the fire escape. His face soon tilted upwards to glare at the pastel hued sky which was getting darker by the second.

_Ryou is up there. _His thought to himself before he lowered his head to look around for another way back up. He didn't realize it but he was bleeding just yet but he half expected to be soon if he didn't get to Ryou in time. At the very least he expected to be drenched in blood, be it his own or Bakura's either would not matter if something terrible were to befall onto his beloved light…

Violet eyes came up to two options. There was pulling himself up the fire escape from the side and hoping to the fucking gods that it would not collapse to like the guarder rail had on the other side or jumping down and looking for a door that most likely would be locked and trying to bust it down. Both options were not in his favor but he had decided which would be faster as he crouched down a bit then leaped up grasping onto the orange rusting escape one more time before joining his other side onto the corroding metal.

Rusting metal squawked like an angry parrot, shifting a little as the tan man pulled himself further up by sheer will. His arms wanting to give out from all of the strain they had been put through though they still managed to obey their master till he reached the horizontal bar.

"Fuck! Come on!" Marik hissed at himself as he dangled over the edge. Heat radiated through his worn-out arms as he hung over the edge cursing at the greater beings in the sky and down below as he tried once more to pull himself up the rest of the way.

"If anyone can do it, you can Marik!" Violet eyes widened at the words. They had not come out of his mouth and yet they were so familiar but why would he refer to himself in third person? "Bakura is coming, you have to hurry!" It wasn't Ryou and it sure as hell was not Bakura but they were the only three in this abandoned part of town, weren't they?

With those encouraging words Marik tried to drag his own weight upwards. His body slowly crept up at what felt like a snails pace only to drop back down once more. This was not working, he was simply too exhausted.

"Come on Marik! I'm sorry I never really been on your side before but you understand why! You've done so much shit against me that I didn't think you could change till Ryou moved in-" There might have been more but it was then that Marik knew exactly who was yelling at him from across the alley. It was his hikari.

If what Malik said was true then Bakura was not waiting for him up there with little Ryou at knife point or whatever weapon that ass was prone to using. So if he was closer to the albino light then he had a better chance at saving him though what was that other part of what Malik had said and then something clicked into Marik's brain.

Growling deeply in his throat, the golden haired Egyptian hissed in anger as he used some of it to help boost him up a bit, his body now halfway up along the side of the old bars. "Malik, you little shit! I should have known you were helping that asshole!" The pain in his leg dulled down in comparison to the heat now rushing to his face out of rage. "You helped him hurt me," his shoulders were now past the top of the guardrail though the majority of his body still hung over the wrong side of the fire escape. "You helped him hurt your own goddamn friend!"

It was funny in a way though now was not a laughing matter for Marik. Malik, his weaker half hated him, it was no secret there but what really got to him was that Malik would hurt his own friend just to get a shot at revenge against Marik himself. That was what fueled him enough to give him the needed strength to pull his battered body up and over the escape where he rolled over into head first.

His view was now up to the heavens once more since he was on his back against able to see the sky getting even darker on one side where a single little star began to shine on the navy blue cover that was taking over quickly.

"I didn't know Ryou was going to be this involved! I thought he would have been better off without you but Ishizu convinced me otherwise!" Sun kissed eyelids closed tightly as if it would also block out Malik's voice since their master did not want to hear any more of what his lighter side had to say.

On the verge of what possibly could have been the world's longest sentence with the most colorful language ever to be heard, another voice interrupted the two tan men's heated conversation. "Oh Mariku… I miss you. Please be alright."

_Ryou!_ Marik's mind shouted. His eyes now opened again with an even newer form of energy behind them. Ryou needed him and there were only seconds left to spare. He could not wait any longer here by arguing with his foolish other self when his crush's life was endanger.

"Please," Ryou's voice trailed off even weaker then it had before. The shadow magic! Damn it, the daylight was almost completely gone so at this rate, Ryou could be a goner any second. "Please," the word slipped out once more before stopping altogether.

By now Marik was up in a race against time, crimson fluid still running down the back of his leg and from other smaller cuts in various places as he hurried up the rickety escape. If it collapsed this time at least the two could be together in the afterlife, providing the gods take pity on him from trying to save his love and placed it above all his past horrible deeds.

Don't forget this, you might need it!" the other from across the alley hissed. Marik wasn't looking so he didn't see the millennium rod being pulled out from behind the young Ishtar's back belt loop which was chucked through the air. The ancient artifact clinked wildly as it made contact with the level just below the one Marik stood on.

His hikari was on his side now? Marik shook his head not sure what to think but ran down the flight quickly to snatch up the item. If what he said was true then he could not risk Bakura getting his hands on it and using it against him to keep him away or worse yet, kill him. However it held no use against someone who also wielded an item but it also might be useful later on. After all, did he not earn a small a break for this living hell?

* * *

The vale of darkness still moved in closer till it felt like there was only a single spotlight shining down over myself and the importer Marik. His eyes were still vacant holes that leaked blood instead of tears to the point of where the majority of his face was now covered in the sticky scarlet.

Ghastly groans were growing louder as different hued sets of hands reached out with arms flailing around groping around the light searching for something to snack on. When these monsters found us, I don't know but they were here now and getting ever closer as the light was disappearing.

"Ryou?" the male in my arms questioned so I lightened my hold on him on instinct and leaned him back so he could look up at me then sighed mentally as those eyeless sockets stared back up at me. "Ryou?" he growled a little louder. I was going to say something till he ct me off again screaming my name this time. "RYOU!"

W-what was wrong with him? Couldn't he at least feel my presence with him or was he loosing himself completely? "It's okay Mariku," I coaxed with a light shushing noise with one hand now running through his hair, his expression of pain still not changing.

A howl of pain escaped his lips while he jolted upwards into my chest. His hands clawing and digging their way into my shirt as he twitched with teeth now clenched tightly together all while growling loudly.

What the hell was happening to him? Why was he doing this now? Another inhuman shriek was produced but this one was not belonging to the Egyptian in my arms. A dark hand lashed out just missing the two of us as countless others tried the very same thing.

"Oh no…" I muttered softly. This was not a good predicament and the light around us that was acting like a barrier was diminishing rather quickly now like the last fleeting rays of the sun at sunset. "I-" I didn't know what to say. "Marik," I muttered softly into the bleeding image of my love's ear while pulling him back in closer to myself. The darkness was closing in and soon we would be wide open for all the foul creatures of this place to torment or do with as they wished…

* * *

Panting heavily, Marik was finally at the open window to the very place he believed his beloved light was residing. With a quick gesture of sliding the back of his hand across his cheek then over his mouth he removed some of the blood and sweat that had gathered there while looking into the darkened room. It looked like the gods were showing him some favor at long last for there was his prize laying limp on the floor with a small highlight from the retreating sunlight that glimpsed through the filthy windows on the other side of the room.

"Ryou," the tan male breathed out. There was no mistaking the small silver haired boy that lay strung out on the hard wooden floor. "Ryou," he hissed louder to himself as the memory that his beloved was promised a bad fate should the sun set before he could get to him. "RYOU!" This cry was more that of determination twisted with pain as the sound of creaking rusted metal come from underneath him.

"You're too late," The voice hissed. Marik didn't even need to look down to see the enraged pale spirit known as Bakura was on his tail, working his own way up the rickety fire escape.

Without so much as looking down to spit on his enemy, the golden haired Egyptian went in through the window to his love's side and scooped him up mush like Ryou was holding him in the Shadow Realm though neither knew what the other was really doing.

The last rays of the sun vanishing from sight sadly a little before Marik reached the male laying on the floor. "No, no, no, no! I am too late…" Marik closed his eyes with bitter rage of his own once more reforming inside of himself as he held tightly onto the still limp body of Ryou. "It will not end this way," He muttered.

Light began to pour out in small trickles from the open window that was still a few more levels above the former thief king's head. Did that bastard find a flash light- No. It then became obvious to him that Marik was using a magic of his own but how did he get a hold of an item? _Malik!_

Oh the slut was going to pay, Bakura promised to himself as he lowered his head and began to climb even faster then before. Marik found Ryou and his plans of revenge were falling apart all too quickly…

* * *

Like a box match, the light faded at last and all too quickly as darkness swallowed us up. Groans of displeasure and anguish filled the darkened area as monsters reached out and grabbed onto our clothes pulling in different directions in an attempt to separate us and add onto our pain. Their mangled fingers burred into our flash as they pulled. Marik did not even bother trying to keep together for it looked like he had given up all hope though I held onto his arms as best as I could only for the ghouls to rip us apart and for his body to go fleeing away into deeper darkness.

No… Was this really how things were going to end? I closed my eyes at my approaching fate as pain started to burn even deeper into my limbs and chest.

"Ryou, open your eyes," demanded a voice. "I'm here," it added on till I did as ordered. The monsters were letting go turning tail as the spiky haired Egyptian stood before me. Blood still smeared over his face but there was a notable difference. His beautiful lilac orbs were back and his attitude was more demanding, strong with a hint of arrogance once more.

The navy blue darkness repelled as he pulled out the Millennium Rod from behind his back casting everything into a rich royal purple, his preferred hue for the realm of shadows. The monsters were all fearing of him when he wielded the ancient weapon and bore his wicked attitude that shown no mercy.

"Come on Ryou, I'm taking you back and if Bakura gets in my way he will reap the consequences of death," he stated coldly sending a shiver down my spine. Bakura might deserve but still, it was no one's place to say who should live and who should die but mentioning such a thing now was probably not the best idea…

The sensation of flicking my eyelids open when they already had been was something a bit disturbing but at least the feeling faded away. Where was I? The room was dark though I felt warm as I looked up to see Marik's face angled down towards my own, his own eyes closed as light faded from his forehead. No, that couldn't have been real but then again… A could indistinctly remember seeing something like that on his head the last time he saved me from the Shadow Realm and was it not there again this time?

"Come Ryou, I want to go home now," Marik sighed as he opened his eyes with a hint of regret. It must have been from running away and all of this crap that followed from it. "At least let me drop you off there…"

What did that mean? I looked up at him feeling my eyes beginning to water. "You're coming back too right? I missed you and that place isn't the same… Rishid even misses you!" I replied at the recollection of Rishid mentioning it being harder to sleep without knowing where his 'demented' room mate was off to.

"… You might have won this time but we will see about the next," hissed a voice fro outside of the room. The two of us looked towards the window only to catch a glimpse of white hair blurring across as my darker self ran back down the escape. Wait, had he been watching this whole time or was he too late in stopping Marik from saving me?

"There won't be a next time if you know what is good for you," Marik growled as he stood up and pulled me along with him. "Lets go, I'll walk you home," he replied now looking away from the window towards me.

With a sigh of disappointment I nodded. Home sounded nice but it also sounded like Marik was not willing to go back or at least thought the others were not willing to accept him… He couldn't have known what all happened in his absence there, all the chaos that was caused **without** him! If only he knew…

(Hope you all have great winter holidays! So far I did nothing today but work on this story, you should be proud but then again this chapter is a bit more then confusing and fast paced... Sorry about that but it is my Christmas/winter gift to all my readers of this story! Sounds lame of me huh but at least I updated! Sorry for leaving it at a cliffhanger for so long. It even took me a while to remember what had happened. I'm so bad... Also, it seems I did not tell view changes in my past chapters so I did not this time. It might confuse you but since everything is happening so fast itself in the story, I guess it sort of fits? Anyway, Well, ja ne!)


	18. Malik needs help with something

"Please come out of the bathroom," I sighed feeling pretty defeated. The sound of thing falling onto the hard floor was my response. With a sigh and turned my back to the door and pressed my back to it. "Marik, it'd not the end of the world..." I tried to reason.

A grunt come through the door. "You're not the one who has to wear the damned thing," the other hissed. "Now where are the scissors?" I could hear him rummaging more through the medicine cabinet. The occasional curse word slipping his lips as he tried to find what I knew was not in there since I saw Ishizu hide the scissors in back of the freezer inside a bag of frozen carrots. I had to admit, it would be one of the last places I would look for such a thing.

"It's only for a while. I'm sure if you behave they'll have it removed sooner." Though I did kind of agree with him. It wasn't exactly his fault he had been missing for so long from the house. That was more of my own yami's fault then anyone else's.

"Fuck, it's not in here!" he snapped from within the restroom. "Ra damn it!" The sound of cracking glass soon followed after. He must had slammed the door shut and damaged it... A typical tantrum for him but at least he had a reason to be throwing one.

I moved away from the door and it soon opened with my angry angel standing in its place. Turning to face him I could already sense his rage but the expression on his face was just a small scowl. No wait, there was a vain or two pumping blood fiercely making it stand out on his beautiful face.

His violet eyes shifted downwards as he rose up one hand then pointed down to his ankle. "Because of your yami I have to wear this-this thing for four months!" My own eyes traveled down to the small black device around his tan ankle. A steady green light shining at the top of the object. "If I actually did something this time then I'd probably understand it but I didn't do shit! I don't deserve this belittlement!" The blonde hissed.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting the police either or this but I'm sure it's for your own good and like I said," my own voice was beginning to trail off as I felt the air get a little more tense. "They might take it off sooner if you..."

"Be good?" Marik finished. The blonde scuffed at this and rolled his eyes as I looked up from the device to his face. "Did you miss the part where I did NOTHING wrong?" His voice was more of a deep growl as his finished. "I swear no one listens to me."

Wincing I looked off to one side and rubbed my right arm. That kind of bruised my feelings a little. I listened to him...

A pair of arms soon wrapped around my waist, pressing me against the warmer body of the Egyptian male. My face quickly taking up a heat of its own. "You know I was kidding right?" the Ishtar mused before resting the nook of his chin on top of my head. "I'm just annoyed that this is the kind of greeting I get the next morning after my return."

It was rather sudden... But at least it would prevent him form up and disappearing for almost a week again. Be it from kidnapping or him actually trying to run away however I could see why he was pissed. His freedom being limited and all...

"Am I interrupting something?" another voice came from further down the hall with a soft chuckle.

I could feel Marik's arms tighten their hold around my middle when the lighter side of my dark angel spoke. "Actually, we were just about to go have sex in my room. Mind telling Rishid to take his time making lunch for me?" I could see the expression on Malik's face become more red and embarrassed. Heck, I think that comment got us all to blush except for Marik of course.

"He's kidding," I replied after finding my voice and lightly smacked one of Marik's arm with my hand. "Is there something you wanted, Malik?" The dark side of the two released his hold on me but kept his little smirk.

Blinking out of his trace, Malik shook his head. "I was just wondering if you would mind helping me with something." I looked from him to my crush and then back. "That is if you don't mind..."

I shook my head. Of course I didn't mind. I was pretty much living here for free so it was the least I could do by helping them here and there around the house and with whatever else needed to be done. "I don't mind." I glanced back to Marik quickly and smiled at him. "I'll find you later so be prepared for me to chew you out for that little joke of yours," I warned teasingly before turning on heel to join Malik.

"I'll be in my room..." the angry angle murmured. "Seeing as I can't fucking leave this hell hole for more then ten seconds without the cops chewing my ass off..." he added. Malik shrunk a little from that last part but continued leading the way. I wasn't quite sure why but ever since Marik and I got home the other night, those two have been acting even more peculiar around each other then normal.

"He might never forgive me for what I've done but at least he isn't trying to kill me." I raised an eyebrow due to the curious words that escaped Malik's mouth as we rounded the corner into the living room. "Anyway... I was hoping you would help me with a little present I want to give to Marik." I don't think my curiosity could have gotten any higher then it was now. "As a way to show I want to put the past behind me and look forward to the present and future." Now I was more lost then before but I was liking the idea of them getting along more often.

"Just let me know how I can help and I'll do it," I chirped putting on a smile. The young Egyptian clasped his hands together and grinned back at me.

"I was hoping you'd say that. You see, I want to give him something but I have no idea what he would like that doesn't involve a living sacrifice or something the law would forbid..." He reached up behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck almost nervously. "He just doesn't seem to like anything I like so it's kind of hard to get to know him better when he's so different..."

Violet eyes softened and although they were angled downwards towards the carpet I could tell he wasn't faking his feelings at all. He was sincere and sounded like he really wanted to try to understand his darker self better rather then pass it off like Marik was the anti-christ or some other force of undeniable evil.

Turning thoughts over in my mind I tried to recall a couple of things I knew Marik enjoyed or would at least like to do but the majority of those things involved leaving the Ishtar premises and at the most, Marik could only go ten feet off the front porch...

A small idea crept into my head. "I know he likes looking up at the sky at night." Malik tilted his head but it was hard to tell if he was curious or just confused. "He has this strange idea that he's not good enough for heaven though he'd really like to be a part of it when he actually... You know," I lowed my voice quite a bit not wanting to think of my precious love dead.

"Oh," the other murmured. "I didn't know that," he added lowly. He must have assumed that Marik always thought he was going to force his way into the good side of the afterlife or something ridiculous like that. "I don't see how I can get that to work as a gift."

"Well," I could feel my mind trying to kick up a good idea whilst a mini version of myself sweat dropped inside of my head. "Perhaps you could invite him out onto the porch some night just to stargaze?" That must have sounded really lame.

A soft hum drifted through the air from the other male's direction. "That might work but what if he refuses?" Oh yes, there was always that stubborn streak that boy had when he really didn't want to do something.

Forcing up a weak chuckle it was now my turn to scratch the back of my neck from nervousness. "Well then, perhaps you can coax him into it with a orange cream Popsicle. I've seen him eat a full box once during a marathon of some silly cartoon show." It was true but that was one of the first few days when I just started to be a permanent guest to this small family.

"So that's why they were all gone... He told me you ate them." Letting my head hand over a bit I laughed at this new bit of information. I should have known that was coming but it was pretty funny considering the time line of when it happened and now. "Of course I knew better but then again I have seen you eat a whole case of cream puffs by yourself in one setting for lunch."

"Not fair! I love cream puffs, I can't help it..." I paid for them myself anyway so it wasn't like I was being a pig and gobbling up all of their food. That would just be plain rude of me and I could never do that to them. not after they took me in and went through all the trouble of protecting me.

Waving both hands in the air as a sign to relax, Malik sighed before crossing them over his chest. "So stargazing, huh? It sounds safe..." I could feel myself trying not to frown at the comment. He was still judging Marik without getting to know him better first but he was trying... "I'll give it a shot. Hopefully I don't screw things up somehow..."

"Relax a little, I'm sure things will work out just fine," I encouraged. The thought of those two getting along was very appealing to me considering all of the horrid crap that went on in the past few days that I would love to forget. Yes, them becoming at least a little closer would be very nice and it couldn't hurt either of them so it was most assuredly a win-win case. "Just watch out for his mouth," I warned. Malik almost paled in response till I snickered and finished. "His lips are mine. Got it memorized?" The color came back quickly with a tinge of pink to his cheeks.

"Believe me, you can keep them. I'm more interested in someone else anyway." Oh? I perked up a little to show I was curious and wanted more detail on this newest bit of information. "It'll never work out anyway but I can dream." The teen then laced his fingers together after uncrossing his arm and stretched them up above his head letting out a small yawn. "I best go find Rishid and help him make sure the invisible fencing isn't broken anywhere. Thanks for your help, Ryou!" I watched him walk away to do as mentioned but now I was a little intrigued. He liked someone but I didn't know who. Well, at least I knew it wasn't Marik, that much was a plus though I'd still like to know who he had his sights on.

I went to go find Marik only to stop half way into my turn as the little marker doodle caught my eyes. They were still there. The three cross dressing hikaris and pharaoh in midevil dresses. Yami having three long pointy hats on each tuff of spiked hair. Walking over to get a better view of the small memory I knelt down and gently placed the palm of my hand to the flat surface. Closing my eyes I could almost hear Marik's voice like he was sitting in my place when it had occurred.

_"To be honest, I think you are second best in looks. Stupid Malik has the figure of a woman so it comes as no surprise that he naturally would appear the most feminine in a dress." _the past whispered in Marik's rough voice. The sun kissed man vanished from my sight only to be replaced by his sister, Ishizu. _"No one has ever shown him love or care before." _the ghostly image whispered with her eyes closed. His tan hands clapsed in each other. _"Marik doesn't know anything about these things because no one will show him them. It's suicide to even try to do so. The only reason he didn't tare you apart is that… He knew I was watching over you."_

Even in memory there was the two second pause in her answer. She was holding back information. I was sure of this now. My eyes snapped opened and suddenly I felt like I had to find the female member of this family and ask her a few questions. She was in the kitchen when I last saw her but by now she was probably at the museum... Perhaps I could catch a bus or walk up there and get some answers. "She knew, but how..." That's what I wanted to know.

Walking out of the living room down into the hall, I found myself soon leaving the building through the front door where the two brothers were on their hands and knees making sure the line wasn't broken to Marik's house arrest device.

"Malik, tell Marik I'll be back in a few hours! I-I need to go get something!" He simply raised an eyebrow as he looked up in my direction as I began to sprint down the sidewalk towards the bigger part of the city. "Thank you!" I added before I was out of ear shot and now focused on my mission. "She was holding back information this whole time but-" deciding it best to focus on steadying my breathing as I ran, I stopped talking to myself out loud. The museum she worked at was a few blocks from the old library wasn't it? I think it was...

** Watching from the alley was a set of blood flacked brown eyes. Just where was Ryou off to in such a hurry? Hmp, well at least for once it didn't concern him for he had much bigger fish to fry. Seemed that Marik was now in some sort of house arrest by the sound of thing over that police speaker Bakura had eveased dropped in on with his Millennium Ring when he thought he had heard the other spirit's name. Perhaps now was the best time to drop in on Malik and pay him a suprise visit and while he was at it, taunt Marik a little as well and perhaps kill him if he was given the oppertunity though fucking with his mind sounded more appealing at the moment...**

(I decided it was well past due for an up-date and I actually found time and inspiration to do so! I am proud of myself at least though I probably shouldn't be considering how late this up-date is... And that it wasn't so great but I did have fun writing it. If you have questions, please ask away. I'll answer all of them no matter what they are. Also, i hope you enjoyed my tale so far. Ja ne.)


	19. Ten seconds till death

Beautiful shades of blue filled the air. All light yet clear in fresh crisp day with a few little clouds hanging like miscellaneous letter magnets on a freezer door. The sun in the sky was partially hidden by a set of fluffy white clouds, casting a convent shadow over the two men that were making sure the invisible fence had no breaks in it. "I'm not sure if this is such a good idea," the smaller of the two murmured wiping off the sweat that had collected on his brow with the back of his gloved hand. "None of this was really his fault so why are we punishing him for something he could not control?" Malik was feeling a little guilty for all of the things he had done to contribute for his darker half's forced imprisonment.

"It's for the greater good," Rishid reassured his younger charge. It was quite unusual for someone Rishid's age to actually obey everything his younger step-brother had asked of him but his situation was very different from everyone else in the world. He had taken a vow to Malik's father to protect and serve the boy until the day he died and even though Malik had told him his vow was lifted off of him and he could be his own person. The truth was, Rishid had grown used to following the orders given to him, even though they were requests now, he would always obey. "He will understand in time."

Letting out a short sigh, Malik nodded at last agreeing with the other. "I guess you're right." The blonde pulled off his right glove and waved it about in front of himself enjoying the small breeze it produced. "But I have a bad feeling about this all the same. I guess I'm just worrying over nothing," he breathed out dropping his one glove into his lap so he could pull off the other one.

Olive green eyes stared down at Malik's form as he stood up, his eyes softening for a brief moment as if holding back a terrible secret. "Everything will be fine in the end, I promise." His words rolled off his tongue smoothly hiding back the note of sadness quite will. "Come inside," he requested moving his gaze over the the building their small family resided in. "I'll start making lunch while you wash up," he added.

Within a moment or two, Malik had pulled himself up and put on a smile. "Alright. I'll tell Marik about Ryou-" His voice trailed off as his violet gaze meet suddenly with the bald giant's own olive one.

"I'll tell him. He's still in one of his moods and I don't want you getting hurt." Slowly the younger Ishtar nodded his head a bit confused. "I need to make sure he hasn't taken his anger out on my things anyway." It was a poor excuse though fairly reasonable considering who they were talking about.

"O-Okay..." Malik replied weakly. "But can you tell him I wish to talk to him later tonight? I have something I want to show him." Rishid merely gave a stiff nod in agreement. His eyes watching the other make way for the house before he looked off across the street at the darkened alleyway. His expression hardening before he forced himself to turn around and make his own way back to the Ishtar residence. His mind attempting to switch gears and focus on his _orders_ given to him from the man he still considered 'Master Malik'.

* * *

"Tsk," a silver haired male hissed under his breath. Pulling on the dark cord around his neck, Bakura kept back his comment, loosing the item around his neck which had felt like it had been attempting to choke him. The feeling making him uncomfortable. It had to have been the older Ishtar's fault. That pony tailed freak had glared directly in his direction but there was still no possible way he knew Bakura had been standing there. Perhaps he was just being paranoid and for a good reason.

Stepping out of the darkness, one foot at a time, the former king of thieves smirked. He was hear for a reason. Actually, he was here for several though the main one involved a certain dark spirit that has one house arrest. Such a marvelous thing the Millennium Ring. It had given his this tidbit of information by intercepting a police chat over the CB when he had heard the darker side of a certain Egyptian name being mentioned.

The coast was clear once the door had been closed. The front yard completely vacant with the exception of a few colorful flowers along the small sidewalk leading up to the front door. Stuffing his pale hands into his pants pockets, Bakura fully revealed himself to the outside world. The clouds blocking the sun had moved away, casting warm golden light over the thief's form. The whole setting making him look quite the opposite of his true dark nature. Should someone have seen him that did not personally know the male, they would have mistaken him for an angel. The smirk on his beautiful pale face the only thing even hinting at his devilish persona. This was the great yami, Bakura. And today if he was lucky, he would gain his proper title as an angel... An angel of Death. However he knew it wasn't going to happen today but someday soon he would get exactly what he wanted. For now though he would play with his little field mouse and break him before sending that tan asshole to hell...

* * *

"I-I-Ishizu..." The name barely left my mouth as I gripped onto the door frame for dear life. All the nonstop running I had done really winded me. It felt like my entire chest was on fire or being poked at with a burning rod of steal. "Ishizu! Where are you?" I asked out loud as I forced myself away from the door. I could feel my face burning. I probably should not have ran so fast. It wasn't like she was just going to leave early or anything like that.

"Hello Ryou, are you alright?" A woman stepped out from around a corner were a large statue of Anubis stood, arms crossed and bearing a spear. "You look tired. Did you run here?" The woman asked. Her foot steps not even making the slightest noise as she moved closer to me. Her face showing slight worry though still held that calm coolness it always managed to hold.

She had to know I was coming. I was sure she knew it so why was she acting like she had no idea why I was here? "I need t-to talk to you," I breathed out before sucking in a cold harsh breath of chilled air. The air conditioning in this place was nice though burning my lungs from the drastic change from hot to cold. "I want to know everything," I added as I straightened myself up a bit. One hand still clung to my shirt over my beating heart that was thundering like a war drum.

Dark blue eyes gleamed briefly before she turned her back to me. "If you really want to know everything then I can not help you..." Her voice trailed off. What did she mean by that? "But I can tell what you wish to know about me foreseeing your feature." I lifted my gaze back up not realizing I had letting it fall down to the ground till just now. So she did know I was coming after all. All of this, every little thing she knew- "There are grave things still lying ahead. If you follow me I will explain to you our history, why we are here and how you are involved."

Now that... That was something I had not been expecting to hear from her at all. "Alright," I whispered. My breathing had steadied quite a bit though was still off by a hair. The raven haired woman started to walk down a hall that held several other large statues. Each statue was part human with part of a different animal. The majority of them stood erect as others had their arms over their chests or one hand stretched out with a weapon in its grasp.

"The story begins in a dark time underground with a group of people who were called Tombkeepers..." She began only to pause for a small breath as if reliving a painful memory and judging by the words she chose to describe the beginning of her tale, it was a truly miserable memory to be reliving and somehow I knew it was going to get worse really fast...

* * *

**_What-chya made of, how much more can you take?_** Music drifted out from under the closed door. The volume turned up on full with no headphones in. Marik own voice mangled in with the words when he wasn't too busy throwing his head back howling in a deep growl of anger for everything that he had to suddenly put up with. **_Half of my life's been one big mistake but no ones gonna take my place_**_**! **_

_**  
**_Marik voice faded away into a softer growl as four solid knocks against the door caught his attention. The noise just barley making itself heard though the thundering music. "What in the seven hells do you want?" The spiky haired male sneered without even caring who it was. Ryou would have known better then to bug him when he was in this state so clearly it was someone else. Tan fingers wrapped around the radio dial and turned the volume down to where it was just above a whisper though still playing 'Take it to the Bridge'.

There was silence which began to add onto his annoyance. Rolling his dark eyes, Marik slipped off over the side of his bed and opened the door peering into the empty hallway. His anger melting into confusion. Some had been knocking on his door so where where they?

_Tap, tap... _Turn to look over his shoulder, the tan Egyptian's grip on the door tightened, making the object rattle. Waving from behind the glass stood a familiar and loathed person. A cheery though devious grin broadly pouring over his lips like a slick oil spill. His waving hand moving to under his left eye and pulling down on the bottom eyelid in a teasing fashion. A pink tongue now sticking out of the pale mouth over the milk white lips to complete the unexpected view out of the pissed off Ishtar's window.

"How dare you even show your face around here!" Marik snarled venomously. "Get out of my room!" It must have slipped his mind that Bakura was actually outside of his window versus inside the room. To make matters worse, Bakura had rolled his eyes and decided it fitting to point out the obvious.

"I'm not in your room, idiot," the silver haired male spat dryly. His hand dropping from his face to his side. "But why don't you come outside to play?" A cold hearted frown gradually melting into a mischievous grin. "Or is the little boy grounded?" The thief nearly cackled with amusement as the dark set of amethyst eyes widened. Did Bakura actually know about the house arrest ordeal or was he just joking around with him and really had no clue?

Placing a hand around the neck of a small lamp that rested on the top of a dresser, the tan male cocked his head to one side forcing his eyes to close half way. A cool confidence of self-control filling his aura. "Why don't you come inside so we can have a nice heart to heart chat?" he asked keeping his voice fairly level.

Wagging a solo finger from behind the partially opened window, Bakura clicked his tongue behind his teeth. "You should know better by now then to think that a freak like you can actually have a heart." The tensing muscles in Marik's hand showed that the robber had stuck a nerve. "But even if you did somehow have such a thing, it would be so corroded that it could not possibly hold any sort of emotion that is good."

Closing his eyes, the tan man allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips. "That's funny..." CrazyTown continued to play softly in the background. "But you want to know what would really make me laugh?" Hazelnut brown eyes narrowed as Bakura was not quite sure if he liked were the blonde was going with this. After all, Marik was a ticking time bomb, no one could ever predict when he would go off with the exception of maybe Ishizu. "If I could get to you before you could make it past the ten foot barrier!" The pale spirit's mouth closed instantly as a the metal base of the lamp made contact with the windowpane glass sending spiderweb like cracks out from where it had made contact.

"Marik, you freak!" Bakura did not have much time to think up a decent comeback to the man who had thrown an object at him. The white haired male hardly even had time to avoid the tan hands that lashed out from the other side of the window for his snow white throat. "You're insane! Do you really think you can get away with this when the cops will be on your ass if you even cross the fence?" he hissed on the brink of hysterics whilst backing up slowly. Clearly the Ishtar was not in his right mind seeing as he was now more then halfway out of the window. His tan mug turned a deep beet red with three veins randomly popping out on his face from pure rage.

"It'll take them time to get here and for your sake, you better pray to the gods I don't kill you before they do arrive!" The taller of the two was finally free from the hole in the wall called a window. His violet eyes reflecting Bakura on the outside and blood red flames on the inside. What he didn't tell Bakura was that he read the manual Ishizu had conveniently left on the counter that said he had ten seconds to get back into the safe zone or the police would be called in. This in his mind gave him an extra ten seconds to try to catch the albino rat that was trying to flee away into the safety of the alleyway system.

Within two seconds the chase was on and the little light to the device around Marik's ankle switched from green to a bright flickering red. A warning chirp accompanied the flashing light but was almost completely ignored. It was the quick little beat it gave off that made a grin split across the sun kissed face like a rag doll that had too much stuffing. He was starting to feel the adrenalin rush that whispered the words 'sweet vengeance' over and over again in the back of his mind. Bakura was getting closer with each step he took and there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to catch the damned male and once he did that, oh... Boy was he going to pay for everything he had done to him. For everything he had done to Ryou...

(Wow, this one was super late and I know I promised I would try to update it like a month ago but ugh, I am so mad at myself for not updating sooner though I'm afraid this update isn't the greatest but I really did try to make it interesting at least for you. Hopefully it worked... As for Rishid, he didn't check on Marik yet but he will eventually. I'm still debating on if Bakura should actually get away from Marik or should he actually get caught and have some sense knocked into him... Perhaps I might even come up with something so amazingly twisted not even I would have expected it to happen? Ugh... Anyway, I hope you did enjoy this really late update to my tale. Comment are greatly appreciated and loves as well are suggestions and criticisms!)


	20. Watering the lawn with scarlet

Droplets of scarlet tainted a few lucky blades of grass in the front lawn. Such a rare treat it must have been to be watered with the blood of an ex-thief from the ancient past, Marik thought to himself briefly as he threw the other dark spirit hard onto his back. Hazelnut eyes were wide, staring up at the insane Egyptian who had not one thing on his mind but rather a million. Each little thought worked like a single bead, each one minor but together would make up a beautiful necklace. Unfortunately for Bakura, this necklace was made up from the beads of hatred, diamonds of vengeance, and the rubies of blood-lust.

Words were vacant from the Ishtar's lips although he was sure he had a bucketful of things he could and should say as he beat the ever loving daylights out of the thief but he could not settle on what to tell that damn bastard. Instead, he laughed.

"Marik, the police will be here-" it was pointless to even reason with the blonde now but Bakura was willing to try. "This will only add onto your time!" the white haired male hissed attempting to shield his face since backing up was not an option. The Egyptian sitting on his middle being the culprit as to why he could not flee.

This truly was not in his favor. Was this some form of vengeance? But he had done nothing wrong! Marik had deserved everything he had receive except for Ryou! This is what Bakura had believed and still did so even though he might have a second thought or two about things if he got out of this mess alive.

Growling something uncomprehending in Arabic, Marik uncurled his fingers on one hand and firmly placed his palm over the other male's pale face. "You think I give a shit what they'll do to me?" the blonde's voice sneered. Each word getting considerably darker as he went on. "Nothing can even be compared to the hell you put me through! And for what? Ryou?" Bakura's face was now forced down to one side before being rubbed into the grass. "And you just think that fucking me up is going to make him go back to you?"

Somewhere in the distance there was the light trickle of a siren ringing through the once still air. Marik's violet eyes shifted up towards the street for a brief moment then back down to his prey. A tiny frown working its way across his caramel lips. The police, he had forgotten about them so soon? No matter, he was not done just yet with this albino ass-hole.

"If you want him back then you'll have to actually try to make him want to go back by being something other then a dick!" His sun-kissed hand slide roughly across the milk white skin and sunk into the strands of silk white hair. "Though now your chances are a hell of a lot slimmer then they were before," the Ishtar's frown was slowly morphing into a demented little grin. "Because I actually love him." He took in a small shaky breath before giving the soft silver hair a harsh tug to make the thief's head roll over onto the other side. His cold gaze burrowing into the wide brown orbs. "And I have you to thank for making me realize that."

No. No! The other dark spirit's mind started to spin. Marik- Marik actually admitted to loving **his **hikari? No, this was not to be this way! Ryou was his light, his old host, his ex- White flashed before the thief's eyes until other hues began to chase the brilliant white away. Ryou was his ex now and it was all his own doing. Marik was disturbingly right. At last he could see this now but was there a way to win Ryou back?

_And I have you to thank for making me realize that. _Those very words whispered themselves over in the back on Bakura's mind. So soft but also so very hard to ignore.

Shadows crossed over the pale spirit's face was the weight on his stomach was being lifted off of him. Something hard cracked against his face, over his eye that made the shadows disappear for a moment or two but he could now see sky again.

"We have one male found under the house arrest male's person. He appears to be pretty banged up. Requesting for medical assistance," Light flicked in and out of the other's vision as the officer above him examined his body making various annoying clicks and other noises with his mouth. "He's bleeding." Well no fucking duh, that fucker had quite a set of fingernails and enough rage inside of him to damn near break my nose just by flicking it! Cursed Egyptian and his quick jabs to the face...

Still, he was finding it hard to focus on himself as a different jingle drifted into the area around them along with paramedics wheeling out a stretcher from the back of their vehicle. Rather unnecessary, Bakura knew but he really did not have the motivation to even bother with getting up himself. If only these morons would leave him alone so he could dwell on this new bit of information in a shred of peace. Perhaps his newly shed blood would somehow help him to think even harder before he'd make any other plans towards that demented Ishtar.

Honestly though, this was the first time he had ever been happy to see a police officer in his entire life. Although, this was not at all going to be the last time he would see a cop, then again... This was probably not the last time he'd ever see one here at the Ishtar residence at that too...

* * *

Squirming around wildly, I attempted to shove the arm of the officer off from around my waist. It was surprising that it only took three of them to get me off that damned thief and only two to carry me back towards the house. "Get off of me! I'm not done with him yet!" I hissed venomously, however, I was lying. I was done with Bakura, for now at least. I think I had chosen the right words when I was at last able to speak to that pasty white ass. Now I was merely making a show for everyone else to see. Maybe that would somehow get relayed back to him and he would think twice before ever daring to fuck with me again.

I kicked my legs about like a defiant child until I realized that the bald giant was now not too far off from my side. "What's going on?" I knew it was Malik talking but my gaze had moved onto Rishid's hulking frame work which had for some reason made me forget to keep up my charade. "Why is there an ambulance in the yard?" my twins' voice peeked to where it nearly cracked. He was angry now. Poor ding-bat. It should have been an easy puzzle to piece together really.

"You can put him down," Rishid at least spoke. His voice deep and unwavering, perhaps it was also a bit intimidating seeing as the cops obeyed almost instantly, releasing me at his feet. Falling onto my knees, I grabbed the step-brother's legs to keep from crashing into the cement staircase face first before glaring up at him. His olive green eyes briefly staring down at me then returned to the officers. "Thank you. I'll take care of him if you don't mind and then I'll be back to fill out any paper work." Freaking kiss up-

I choked as the back of my shirt was lifted. "What are you-" cut off but yet another gasp for air which mercifully only lasted for half a second seeing as I found myself flying up and landing down over a broad shoulder. "Damn you, Rishid! This is humiliating! I can walk myself, put me down!" I hissed. For some reason being choked by my own shirt seemed far less degrading then being carried into the house over Malik's protector's shoulder.

Naturally he ignored my protesting as a family portrait or two blurred past my vision and I was air-born once more. The sound of a door closing shut was surprisingly gentle as well was my landing on my ratty old bed. But why had he not paused for a moment or two to tell me to stay put? Wouldn't the cops normally arrest me and force these tomb-guardians into attempting to bail me out-  
My eyes eyes widened as realization took over. ...He knew this was going to happen! Gritting my teeth, I hissed. The fool knew this was going to happen or he would have thrown me onto the floor like he used to do when I would act out of hand. Providing I wasn't arrested of course but still! Gah, that-that-

"That fucking bastard!" the words just tore themselves from my throat. "They were all in on it!" they had to be. That would explain the bloody device around my ankle. They were trying to perhaps keep me from murdering Bakura- Feh, idiots. I wanted him dead but I also wanted that brat alive so I could make him suffer... But how, when did they predicts these events?

Jolly sirens no longer rang from beyond the scribbled on walls around me. Pitty they were taking away my play mate. I was not quite finished toying to that pale fucker. My hands grabbed at the bed sheets under me, attempting to tare them out from under myself when I had realized just how off track I had just been.

"RISHID!" I howled poisonously into the air. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!" The fabric tore making the most wonderfully skin crawling noise. Oh, that sounded nice... Shouting our step-brother's name along with several colorful words here and there, I began to pull harder at the fraying bed sheet. More spine tingling noise came from it and the one sheet slowly turning into two sheets. How amusing, how destructively amusing.

**-Because life ain't easy man! Life's a bitch!** The boom-box I had left on to go hunt down Bakura was still playing a mix of CrazyTown. At least I had a nice beat to start my newest art project with. Heh, heh, heh...

* * *

Several fingers lay across my mouth as I felt my soul tremble. Ishizu had finished reveal to me her family's tragic story along with a little background about each of the Ishtar's. They all had more then their fair share of terribly tragic events and as a whole, their family history was a tale of horror, though, mercifully things were getting better since after the Battle City Finals. For some reason she didn't bother to go into much detail about their new lives or how Marik came to have his own body...

"There is still so much that has yet to happen," the female moves her arms in front of her, locking her fingers together while closing her eyes. "My brother's curse may have been lifted off his spirit but that darker side of him which took on his own form still has at least one more test before him."

I bit onto one of my fingers briefly then forced my hand away so I could speak. "Test? You make it sound like he's being judged on his actions before he can even make them." Her eyelids opened up about halfway. Was she actually saddened?

"That is because he is being judged before, during, and after he has made his choices." I must have been staring at her with a blank expression considering she had decided to elaborate a little more for me. "You see, Malik began to relapse." Relapse? How could one possibly- "Marik took some of his memories with him when the two were separated, I'm sure this doesn't make sense to you because Bakura had not taken any memories from you but seeing as he was born once upon a time with flesh and blood parents, and Marik was forged by raw emotions and an ancient ritual, there are bound to be difference..."

Opening my mouth to ask some more clarifying questions, the phone started to ring. It's annoying chime droning through the large halls. "Excuse me," the long raven haired woman pardoned herself and slipped off towards the nearby phone, leaving me standing next to a very large stature of Anubis. I half wanted to swear at whoever was calling but they could not have possibly known how important this conversation was to me let alone how much it explained about Marik's behavior and why the other's in his family treated him differently, however, this conversation had also lead me to several new questions I could not quite place my finger on an answer too without a dash more of explaining.

"Wait a second..." A cold thought crept into my mind which made my throat tighten and my face start to burn. "If everything Ishizu had told me was true then..." my voice trailed off though there was a clear answer to my question catching in my throat. "Oh-Oh my god!" I looked up into the jackal god's darkly colored face as if that would distract myself. "I'm a pedophile..."

With those words now in the still air, I could feel my cheek burning even more then they had been a second ago. If my calculations were right, Marik would still be under the age of ten but-but he didn't look it! Oh snap! Why was he- I casted my gaze down to the great god's stone feet and bit my lower lip in mid-thought. Despite the age difference that I now got and understood, have my feelings changed for him? I stood still searching my own heart for the answer only it could give and sighed softly.

"I still love him." And how could I not? He had done so much for me and I think I was finally bringing him into better terms with the other Ishtar's. Really, we had done so much good for one another that I could not just throw that away because of a silly thing like age. If something like that really was so important then that would mean Bakura and Yami would have to be together considering no one else still existed that even came close to rivaling their age and I knew for a fact those two were never going to ever hook up any time soon...

"There seems to be an emergency." I jumped having not heard Ishizu's return and quickly turned to face her. "It seems Marik has caused a little trouble at the house and I am needed at the police station to help clarify things." I merely smiled and rubbed the back of my neck. Thank god I could at least mask my embarrassment from before with being startled. "You are welcome to come alone with me or I could drop you off at the house along the way if you'd like."

Well, I guess I could always ask her more questions later on when the time was right. At least now my mind wasn't so cluttered with thousands of questions though it now contained a few new ones... "I told Malik to tell Marik I would be going back fairly soon so I should probably head back to the house, if you don't mind." Smiling at her, she slowly returned the gesture and turned towards the exit.

"Alright, I will drop you off along the way. I'm sure Marik misses you actually." Her smile did not fade as she locked the doors behind us. Seemed the museum was now closed but the thought of seeing Marik again did not let me dwell too much on the idea of little children being disappointed in meeting locked doors.

Allowing the female to take the lead, I shivered as a siren squeal blared. The blurry form of an ambulance whizzed past, barely catching my attention as Ishizu climbed into the driver's seat and unlocked the doors. "I hope they are alright," I muttered under my breath as I climbed into my side of the vehicle. I always dreaded hearing ambulance horns going off since it meant someone was hurt and possibly dieing. I guess that is why I always whispered some small prayer under my breath every time I heard one.

I strapped on my seat-belt while forcing my smile back onto my lips. Without an exchange of further dialog, we were now on our way.﻿..

(I finally updated after disappearing for a long time, yet again! I hope this chapter wasn't too dull. Crap, I bet it was duller then a bag of dirt, huh? Oh my... I'm sure the next chapter will start off a little cute or weird, depending on how one will want to look at it, lol. Anyway, I should start updating my other stories soon. Hope I find the time... Thanks for taking the time to read this! I love you my faithful readers! Ja ne!)


End file.
